PHRAGMITES IN CRETE, CENCHRUS-FRUTESCENS, AND THE NOMENCLATURE OF THECOMMON REED (GRAMINEAE)

Phragmites is represented by two taxa on the S. Aegean island of Crete (Greece), one of which corresponds to the cosmopolitan common reed, P . australis. The other deviates in several features and is here descri bed and named as a new species, P. frutescens H. Scholz; it has been s tudied in the wild and was found to have a peculiar, frutescent branch ed habit, to produce inflorescences only occasionally, and never ferti le flowers; reproduction appears to take place only vegetatively, by s tolons and by leafy propagules replacing the flowers. The Cretan reed has been taxonomically equated by some authors with a doubtful Linnean species, Cenchrus frutescens, and the latter name has been recently p roposed for rejection so as to prevent displacement of P. australis by the older supposed synonym. Although one of the original elements of C. frutescens arguably belongs to P. frutescens, it is an old illustra tion that cannot be interpreted with ultimate certainty; furthermore i t is in major conflict with the remainder of the protologue. Choice of the epithet frutescens for the new species eliminates future uncertai nty and makes the proposal to reject C. frutescens unnecessary. Those who (like one of the authors) are unconvinced of the specific distinct ness of the Cretan reed are free to treat it at an appropriate infrasp ecific level under P. australis.