Rutabaga, Latin name: Arundo donax . Gramineae, Rutabaga, perennial, with well-developed rhizomes. Culms thick and erect, tough, with numerous nodes, often branched. Leaf sheaths longer than internodes, glabrous or neck villous; ligules truncate, apex ciliolate; leaf blades flattened, upper and margins scabrid, base white, clasping. Panicle very large, densely branched, obliquely ascending; abaxially densely villous below middle, pubescent distally on both sides, glumes minute and black. Flowering and fruiting September-December. Born along riverbanks, on sandy loam.

The culms are used as reeds in wind instruments. The stem fibers are long, with a large aspect ratio and high cellulose content, making it a raw material for high-quality pulp and rayon. The crude protein of young branches and leaves reaches 12%, which is a good green fodder for livestock.

Rhizome (rutabaga): bitter, cold. Clearing heat and inducing diuresis. It is used for fever and madness, bone vapor of deficiency labor, gonorrhea, unfavorable urinary gonorrhea, wind and fire toothache.