Undaria pinnatifida
Environmental Weed (2024)
Common names
Asian kelp, Wakame
Biostatus
Exotic
Conservation status
Not applicable
Category
Non-vascular
Structural class
Marine Macroalgae
Distribution
An introduced species from the western Pacific. It is now found as an adventive species growing in the Mediterranean and the north-east Atlantic and New Zealand, Tasmania, and Argentina.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Other information
Etymology
pinnatifida: Pinnately divided, finely cut
Environmental Weed (2024)
This plant is named in a list of 386 environmental weeds in New Zealand 2024 prepared by DOC. 759 candidate species were considered for inclusion on this new comprehensive list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. The species considered were drawn from published lists of weed species, lists of plants that must be reported or managed by law if observed, existing national and regional programmes and agreements for pest management, and species already managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Candidate species were then assessed to see if they were fully naturalised and whether they have more than minor impacts in natural ecosystems. Read the full report here.