REED CANARYGRASS 



Phalaris arudinacea L. 



Reed canarygrass is a slender, terrestrial plant which grows along 

 sloughs, marshes, streambanks, and irrigation ditches. Although it is 

 grown as a forage crop in some areas, it can be a nuisance in others. 

 It grows in large clumps which lean out into irrigation ditches or 

 actually grow into the water. This disrupts the waterflow and lowers 

 the water carrying capacity of the irrigation ditches. 



Reed canarygrass can reach heights up to 1800 millimeters. The 

 flowering head extends above the foliage, is pale gold when mature, 

 and cylindrical in shape (insert 1) until the individual flowers spread 

 out just prior to seeding. The grass forms dense mats of fibrous roots 

 and yellowish-brown, creeping rootstocks (rhizomes). The flat, narrow 

 leaves are soft, yellowish-green with prominent mid-veins on the 

 underside, and come to a sharp point at the tips (insert 2). The leaves 

 are hairless, and appear to be criss-crossed or hatched from a distance. 

 Reproduction is by seed and by the extensive, creeping rootstocks 

 which are difficult to control. 



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