Habitat: bank, clay, coast, dry, forest, gravel, hill, lake margin, loam, lowland, margin, moist, open, pasture, ridge, riparian, river terrace, riverbed, roadside, sand, shaded, sheltered, shrubland, silt, slope, stone, terrace, track, wasteland, wetland

Dispersal: Spores, vegetative

Distribution from the Australasian Virtual Herbarium. CC-BY 3.0 AU
Distribution from the Australasian Virtual Herbarium. CC-BY 3.0 AU
 Recognition
  • a mostly upright and long-lived plant re-growing each year from creeping underground stems.
  • it produces two distinctly different types of stems, without obvious leaves, and does not have any true flowers.
  • its green 'vegetative' stems are tall, thin, and produce several spreading branches at each of their joints.
  • its whitish or pale brown 'fertile' stems are shorter, thicker, and topped with a cone-like reproductive structure.
  • this reproductive structure (1-4 cm long) is greenish to brownish in colour and consists of numerous scale-like structures.

[From: Environmental Weeds of Australia]

 Images
Image: Trevor James © Trevor James
Image: Trevor James © Trevor James
Image: Trevor James © Trevor James
Image: Trevor James © Trevor James
© Walter Stahel
© Walter Stahel
Weeds Key – interactive key to the weed species of New Zealand
 References
Biosecurity New Zealand 2012: Regional Pest Management Strategies Database. http://www.biosecurityperformance.maf.govt.nz/
Connor, H.E. 1977: The Poisonous Plants in New Zealand. Edition 2. Government Printer, Wellington.
Howell, C. 2008: Consolidated list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. DOC Research & Development Series 292: 42.