Arundo donax, the giant reed, is a tall perennial reed or cane species. Other vernacular names include giant cane, Spanish cane, wild cane, and in Spanish, carrizo. The scientific name Arundo and donax are respectively the old Latin and Greek names for reed.

Arundo donax grows in damp soils, either fresh or moderately saline, and is native to the eastern Mediterranean region and across southern Asia to Japan. It has been widely planted and naturalised in the mild temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of both hemispheres, especially in the Mediterranean, California, the western Pacific and the Caribbean and is considered invasive in North America and Oceania. It forms dense stands on disturbed sites, sand dunes, in wetlands and riparian habitats.