reed canarygrass	USDA PLANTS Symbol: PHAR3 U.S. Nativity: Exotic Habit: Grass or Grasslike
Phalaris arundinacea L.

Jump to: Resources | Images | Distribution Maps | Sources

Taxonomic Rank: Liliopsida: Cyperales: Poaceae
Synonym(s): reed canary grass
Native Range: N. Amer. From New Bruns. To AK, south to OK, AZ, Eurasia ()
Reed canarygrass is a cool-season perennial grass that grows to 6 ft. (1.7 m) tall. Leaf blades are flat, 1-4 ft. (0.3-1.2 m) long, up to 3/4 in. (1.9 cm) wide, glabrous and taper gradually. The ligule is membranous (transparent) and long. The spreading flower/seed heads arise from hairless stems and can be green, purple, or brown in color and usually 3-6 in. (7.6-15.2 cm) in length. Flowering occurs from May to July. Reed canarygrass is variable in morphology, so characteristics may depend upon the habitat. It spreads by seeds and rhizomes and can quickly dominate wetlands, ditches, prairie potholes and other sites with moist soil. Reed canarygrass can exclude all other vegetation and is extremely difficult to eradicate once established. Debate exists as to the nativity of reed canarygrass; it is native to Europe and possibly parts of Asia, but it may also be native to the northwestern United States. Aggressive behavior that is exhibited in many parts of the central and western United States may be a result of escaped cultivars that were bred for vigor and quick growth.

Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources

Fact Sheet - Pennsylvania Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources
Invasive Plant Atlas of New England - University of Connecticut
Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service

Selected Images from Invasive.org

View All Images at Invasive.org

Flower(s); Chris Evans, Illinois Wildlife Action Plan, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Flower(s); Tom Heutte, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Flower(s); Jamie Nielsen, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Cooperative Extension Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Plant(s); in flower Jamie Nielsen, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Cooperative Extension Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Infestation; Jamie Nielsen, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Cooperative Extension Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Infestation; Chris Evans, Illinois Wildlife Action Plan, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Infestation; The darker colored patch of grass in the low area of this pasture is all reed canarygrass. Chris Evans, Illinois Wildlife Action Plan, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Fruit(s); Steve Hurst, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage

EDDMapS Distribution:
This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts and records obtained from USDA Plants Database. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org

Alternative content

State(s) Where Reported invasive.
Based on state level agency and organization lists of invasive plants from WeedUS database.

Alternative content

U.S. National Parks where reported invasive:

Blue Ridge Parkway (North Carolina)
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (Indiana)
Minute Man National Historical Park (Massachusetts)
Rocky Mountains National Park (Colorado)
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (Wisconsin)

Invasive Listing Sources:

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, 1994.

Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007

Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2005

Native Plant Society of Oregon, 2008