Species

Phragmites karka

Common Name(s)

common reed

Authority

Phragmites karka (Retz.) Trin. ex Steud.

Family

Poaceae

Brief Description

Perennial rhizomatous grass, deciduous in winter

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

Structural Class

Grasses

Synonyms

Many authors include P. karka in P. australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud., and the two reportedly hybridise where their natural ranges overlap, e.g. Pakistan. Arundo karka Retz.; Arundo roxburghii Kunth; Phragmites maxima (Forssk.) Blatter & McCann; Phragmites nepalensis Nees ex Steud.; Phragmites roxburghii (Kunth) Steud.

Habitat

(In NZ), recorded from estuaries and wet grassland

Similar Taxa

Phragmites australis

Year Naturalised

2006 (first confirmed record in NZ)

Origin

Africa, India, New Guinea and northern Australia. (FAO website)

Reason for Introduction

unknown

Attribution

Page created by C C Ogle March 2015

This page last updated on 27 Oct 2019