829

Phragmites karka (Retz.) Trin. ex Steud

Synonym	:	Oxyanthe japonica (Stued.) Steud.
Family	:	Poaceae
Local name	:	English- Water reed Malyalam-  Chora pullu
Flowering and fruiting period	:	Throughout the year
Distribution		Paleotropics
Distribution in Kerala	:	Kottayam,Idukki,Palakkad, Kollam,Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Kozhikkode, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Malappuram
Habitat	:	Mangrove swamps and marshy areas
IUCN status		Least concerned
Uses	:	It is  used for soil stabilization,especially along shores of lakes and streams.
Key Botanical Characters:   Perennials. Culms  tall, reed-like, erect, rhizome creeping; nodes glabrous. Leaves , linear to narrowly lanceolate, base rounded, margins scabrid, apex long acuminate; sheaths to 10 cm long; ligule a narrow rim or fringe of hairs.Panicles 15-40 cm long, pyramidal, lax, silkly hairy. Spikelets 8-14 mm long, linear-lanceolate, 3-6-flowered. Lower glume 3-4 x 1 mm, ovate-lanceolate. Upper glume 4-6 x 1-1.5 mm, elliptic-lanceolate. Lowest lemma barren, 0.8-1 cm long, narrowly elliptic. Fertile lemmas 8-12 x 0.5-1 mm, linear-lanceolate. Paleas 2-4 x 0.5 - 1mm, oblong-lanceolate,hyaline, 2-keeled. Stamens 3. Ovary linear.