Phalaris lemmonii
Phalaris californica
Lemmon's Canary grass
California Canary grass, canarygrass
(7)25-150 cm.
60-160 cm, swollen at the base.
(2)3-20 cm long, 0.6-1.5 cm wide, cylindrical, evidently branched below;
branches to 2 cm, spikelets borne singly, not clustered.
1.5-6 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, ovoid to cylindrical, often purplish, often truncate at the base;
branches not evident, spikelets borne singly, not clustered.
homogamous, with (2)3 florets, terminal floret bisexual;
disarticulation above the glumes, beneath the sterile florets.
homogamous, with 3 florets, terminal floret bisexual;
disarticulation above the glumes, beneath the sterile florets.
4.5-6.7 mm long, 0.9-1.1 mm wide, acuminate, keels not or only slightly winged, wings to 0.2 mm wide, keels, lateral veins, and adjacent surfaces scabrous;
sterile florets (1)2, 1-1.6 mm, densely appressed-hairy;
bisexual florets 2.7-5.1 mm long, 1.2-1.6 mm wide, shiny, stramineous to gray-brown, mostly hairy with spreading hairs, apices glabrous, strongly acuminate to beaked;
anthers 0.7-2 mm.
5-8 mm long, 0.9-1.6 mm wide, acute to acuminate, keels not or only narrowly winged distally, wings to 0.2 mm wide, scabrous, lateral veins conspicuous, smooth;
sterile florets 2, equal or subequal, 1.8-3.5 mm, usually more than 1/2 as long as the bisexual florets, densely hairy;
bisexual florets 3.5-5 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, sparsely hairy, shiny, stramineous, becoming darker at maturity, apices acute to weakly acuminate;
anthers 3-3.5 mm.
1.5-8 mm, acute;
blades to 14 cm long, 1-8 mm wide, smooth, shiny, sometimes revolute.
3-5(8) mm, truncate to acute, irregularly erose;
blades 5-35 (40) cm long, 3-12(18) mm wide, smooth.
= 14.
= 28.
Phalaris lemmonii
Phalaris californica
Phalaris lemmonii is native to California, but it has also been found in Victoria, Australia. It grows in moist areas, and appears to hybridize with both P. caroliniana and P. angusta (Baldini 1995). The strongly beaked tips of the bisexual florets are a useful distinguishing feature.
Beecher Crampton noted on one unusually small specimen (UTC 230918) that it was the vernal pool ecotype of the species. He did not publish his observations.
Anderson (1961) and Baldini (1995) distinguished Phalaris lemmonii from P. platensis Henrard ex Wacht., a narrowly distributed South American taxon, arguing that it was slightly longer in the length of its ligules, glumes, florets, and anthers, but many California specimens fall within the range given for P. platensis rather than that for P. lemmonii. Phalaris lemmonii is the older name so, if further research shows that the two species should be combined, P. lemmonii will remain as the correct name for plants from the Flora region.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Phalaris californica is native to California and southwestern Oregon. It grows in ravines and on open, moist ground. Records from further north probably represent introductions. The relatively long, sterile florets of P. californica distinguish it from other species of Phalaris in the Flora region.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
