Reed canarygrass
Phalaris arundinacea · Aquatic plants
A stand of it · Photo: Simon / CC0
Also called Reed canary grass, Ribbongrass (striped garden form)
How to identify Reed canarygrass
- Tall grass 2 to 6 feet with wide, flat leaves
- Clear, papery ligule at the leaf base
- Dense heads that open pinkish then turn tan
- Forms solid stands from rhizomes
Similar plants
Native mannagrasses have closed sheaths and open drooping heads; common reed is much taller.
Growth profile
| Growing season | One of the first plants to green up in March and April, flowers May and June, may regrow in fall; rhizomes overwinter. |
|---|---|
| Starts growing | About 40 to 45 F soil; grows very early |
| Light | Full sun to part shade |
| Depth | Moist shoreline to about 1 foot of water |
| How it spreads | Rhizomes, stem fragments and seeds |
| Habitat | Shorelines, ditches, canals, streambanks and wet meadows; thrives with nutrient rich runoff. |
Why it matters in a lake
Aggressive European strains form solid mats that crowd out native plants and fill ditches and canals. The striped garden form also escapes.
Where it is found
- Idaho: Common
- Oregon: Common
- Wyoming: Common
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Poales |
| Family | Poaceae |
| Scientific name | Phalaris arundinacea |
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Broadleaf arrowhead
Western water hemlock
Beaked sedge
Baltic rush
Common spikerushNeed a hand?
Is it taking over your lake?
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