The richness, phylogeny and composition of archaeal community associated with the roots of common reed (Phragmites australis) growing in the Beijing Cuihu Wetland, China was investigated using a 16S rDNA library. In total, 235 individual sequences were collected, and a phylogenetic analysis revealed that 69.4 and 11.5 % of clones were affiliated with the Euryarchaeota and the Crenarchaeota, respectively. In Euryarchaeota, the archaeal community was dominated by species in following genera: Methanobacterium in the order Methanobacteriales (60.7 %); Methanoregula and Methanospirillum in the order Methanomicrobiales (20.2 %), and Methanomethylovorans, Methanosarcina and Methanosaeta in the order Methanosarcinales (17.2 %). Of 27 sequences assigned to uncultured Crenarchaeota, 22 were grouped into Group 1.3, and five grouped into Group 1.1b. Hence, the archaeal communities associated with reed roots are largely involved in methane production, and, to a lesser extent, in ammonia oxidization. Quantification of the archaeal amoA gene indicated that ammonia oxidizing archaea were more numerous in the rhizosphere soil than in the root tissue or surrounding water. A total of 19.1 % of the sequences were unclassified, suggesting that many unidentified archaea are probably involved in the reed wetland ecosystem.