Scientific Name
Phalaris arundinacea L.
Common Name(s)
Reed canarygrass
Tribe / Family Name
Poeae
Flowering Period
July to August
Symbol
PHAR3
Description
Reed canarygrass is a native cool-season rhizomatous grass; it reproduces by rhizomes, tillers, and seeds. Culms range from 40–230 cm tall. Its inflorescence is a contracted to open panicle 5–40 cm long, occasionally lobed at the base, and straw colored. Spikelets are 4–5 mm long, ovate, strongly compressed, pale green or tinged with pinkish purple but becoming stramineous at maturity, 3-flowered (uppermost floret fertile and lowest 2 florets reduced and sterile, superficially appearing as 1 floret), and unawned. Ligules are usually 4–10 mm long, membranous, obtuse to truncate, and entire to lacerate.
General Info
This productive, vigorous, and long-lived plant can be found along stream banks, edges of ponds, roadside wetlands, and creeks, and in meadows, marshes, prairies, riparian zones, foothills, plains, and montane sites.
Similar Species
Reed canarygrass is not easily confused with other grasses. However, it may resemble basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus) due to its large stature. To differentiate the two, compare their growth forms. Reed canarygrass is a rhizomatous grass, and basin wildrye is a bunchgrass. Also, the straw-colored panicle of reed canaraygrass sets it apart from other grasses.
Picture of rhizomatous growth habit.
Inflorescence is a contracted to open panicle.
Close-up picture of spikelet.
Close-up picture of fertile floret (above) with two sterile florets (below). The sterile florets are scale-like and villous.
Close-up picture of membranous ligule.
Illustration of reed canarygrass. USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. <i>An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols</i>. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Vol. 1: 170.