Phalaris canariensis

L.
Common names: Annual canarygrass Phalaris des canaries Alpiste des canaries
Introduced
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24.

Plants annual. Culms 30-100 cm. Ligules 3-6 mm, rounded to obtuse, lacerate; blades 3-25 cm long, 2-10 mm wide. Panicles 1.5-5 cm long, 1.5-2 cm wide, ovoid to oblong-ovoid, continuous, not lobed, truncate at the base; branches not evident, spikelets borne singly, not clustered. Spikelets homogamous, with 3 florets, terminal floret bisexual; disarticulation above the glumes, beneath the sterile florets. Glumes 7-10 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, smooth, mostly glabrous, sometimes sparsely pilose between the veins, keels winged, wings to 0.6 mm, widening distally, lateral-veins inconspicuous, smooth, apices rounded to acute, sometimes mucronate; sterile florets 2, equal or subequal, 2-4.5 mm, 1/3 or more the length of the bisexual florets, lanceolate, sparsely hairy, acute; bisexual florets 4.5-6.8 mm, ovate, densely hairy, shiny, stramineous to gray-brown; anthers 2-4 mm. 2n = 12.

Distribution

Conn., N.J., N.Y., Wash., Del., Wis., W.Va., Pacific Islands (Hawaii), Mass., Maine, N.H., R.I., Vt., Fla., Wyo., N.Mex., Tex., La., Tenn., N.C., S.C., Pa., Alaska, Va., Colo., Calif., Ala., Kans., N.Dak., Nebr., Okla., S.Dak., Ark., Ill., Ga., Ind., Iowa, Ariz., Idaho, Md., Ohio, Utah, Mo., Minn., Mich., Mont., Alta., B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr. (Labr.), N.S., N.W.T., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask., Yukon, Miss., Ky., D.C., Oreg.

Discussion

Phalaris canariensis is native to southern Europe and the Canary Islands, but is now widespread in the rest of the world, frequently being grown for birdseed. The exposed ends of the glumes are almost semicircular in outline, making this one of our easier species of Phalaris to identify.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number."lanceolate" is not a number.

... more about "Phalaris canariensis"
membranous +  and scarious +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
mucronate +, rounded +  and acute +
Mary E. Barkworth +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
straight +
basal +  and terminal +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br />) +
not evident +
cross +, linear +  and narrowly lanceolate +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
not evident +
spikelike +
hairy +  and glabrous +
Annual canarygrass +, Phalaris des canaries +  and Alpiste des canaries +
not branching +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (230 cm2,300 mm <br />2.3 m <br />) +
decumbent +  and erect +
swollen +
30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br /> (100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br />) +
not woody +
Conn. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, Wash. +, Del. +, Wis. +, W.Va. +, Pacific Islands (Hawaii) +, Mass. +, Maine +, N.H. +, R.I. +, Vt. +, Fla. +, Wyo. +, N.Mex. +, Tex. +, La. +, Tenn. +, N.C. +, S.C. +, Pa. +, Alaska +, Va. +, Colo. +, Calif. +, Ala. +, Kans. +, N.Dak. +, Nebr. +, Okla. +, S.Dak. +, Ark. +, Ill. +, Ga. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Ariz. +, Idaho +, Md. +, Ohio +, Utah +, Mo. +, Minn. +, Mich. +, Mont. +, Alta. +, B.C. +, Man. +, N.B. +, Nfld. and Labr. (Labr.) +, N.S. +, N.W.T. +, Ont. +, P.E.I. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Yukon +, Miss. +, Ky. +, D.C. +  and Oreg. +
1/4 +  and 1/3 +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
hairy +  and glabrous +
acute +  and acuminate or beaked +
sometimes longer +
1/3 +, 2 +  and 3 +
bisexual +  and sterile +
ovate +  and acute +
subequal +
4.5mm +  and 6.8mm +
7mm +  and 10mm +
shorter or longer +
subtending +
pilose +  and glabrous +
subequal +
2mm +  and 2.5mm +
uncinate +
ovoid +  and cylindrical +
distributed +
1-7(9)-veined +
0 +  and 3/4 +
lanceolate +  and linear +
lacerate +, rounded +  and obtuse +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
inconspicuous +
lanceolate +
concealed +  and prominent +
2 +  and 1 +
well-developed +
2-keeled +
1.5cm +  and 5cm +
not lobed +, ovoid +  and oblong-ovoid +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
dry +  and fleshy +
Introduced +
pistillate +  and pedicellate +
single +, 10 +  and 200 +
compressed +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
plumose +
Gramineae +
Phalaris canariensis +
Phalaris +
species +
bisexual +  and sterile +
membranous +
parallel +  and converging +
hairy +  and glabrous +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +
widening +