Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Cyperus brevifolius (Rottb.) Hassk.

Synonyms

Kyllinga brevifolia Rottb.

Family

Cyperaceae

Common Names

globe kyllinga, green kyllinga, kyllinga, Mullumbimby couch, perennial greenhead sedge, short-leaf flatsedge

Origin

This species is widespread in the tropical, sub-tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world and its exact origin in obscure. However, some authors believe it to be native to tropical Asia and the warmer temperate regions of China and Japan.

Naturalised Distribution

This species is very widely naturalised in the coastal and sub-coastal regions of Australia. It is particularly common in the northern and eastern parts of the country (i.e. in the northern parts of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, in south-eastern, central and northern Queensland, in eastern New South Wales and in the ACT). Also recorded in the the inland regions of southern New South Wales, in some parts of Victoria, and in the south-western parts of Western Australia. It is also naturalised on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island, and possibly naturalised in South Australia.

Notes

This widespread sedge is a common weed of habitation (i.e. gardens and lawns), disturbed sites, waste areas and wetter pastures in many regions. It has also invaded disturbed wetlands, swamps and creeks and for this reason it is also regarded as an environmental weed in parts of Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. For example, Mullumbimby couch (Cyperus brevifolius ) is listed among the top 200 invasive plants in south-eastern Queensland. It also appears on environmental weed lists for the wider Sydney and Blue Mountains region and the Goulburn Broken Catchment in Victoria, and is listed as a moderately invasive species in the Environmental Weeds Strategy of Western Australia.

In Hawaii it grows along trails in wetter forests and in Fiji it infests waterways, river banks, hillsides and cleared mountain ridges. In New Zealand it sometimes forms dense extensive swards on damp flats.