Phalaris paradoxa
Phalaris brachystachys
awn Canary-grass, hood Canary grass, hooded canarygrass, Mediterranean Canary grass
short-spike Canary grass
20-100 cm, not swollen at the base.
80-100 cm.
3-9 cm long, about 2 cm wide, dense, obovoid to clavate, tapering at the base, rounded to truncate at the top;
branches with groups of 5-6 usually staminate, rarely sterile spikelets clustered around a terminal pistillate or bisexual spikelet;
pedicels hispid;
disarticulation beneath the spikelet clusters.
1.5-5 cm long, 0.8-1.8 cm wide, usually ovoid to ellipsoid, occasionally cylindrical, continuous, not lobed, narrowly truncate at the base, rounded at the top;
branches not evident, spikelets borne singly, not clustered.
heterogamous, with 3 florets, lower 2 florets sterile and highly reduced, terminal floret usually staminate, pistillate, or bisexual, rarely sterile.
homogamous, with 3 florets, terminal floret bisexual;
disarticulation above the glumes, beneath the sterile florets.
of staminate or sterile spikelets varying, those at the base of the panicle reduced to knobs of tissue terminating the pedicels, those higher up often clavate, those near the top of the panicle similar to the glumes of the sexual spikelets but somewhat narrower;
glumes of pistillate or bisexual spikelets 4-8 mm long, about 1 mm wide, keeled, keels winged, wings 0.2-0.4 mm wide, terminating below the apices and forming a single, prominent tooth, lateral veins conspicuous, apices acuminate to awned, awns about 0.5 mm;
sterile florets of all spikelets 0.2-0.4 mm, knoblike projections on the calluses of the terminal florets often with 1-2 hairs;
terminal florets of all spikelets 2.5-3.5 mm long, 0.8-1.5 mm wide, indurate, shiny, glabrous or with a few short hairs near the tip;
anthers 1.5-2.5 mm.
6-8.5 mm long, 1.4-2.5 mm wide, glabrous or hairy, keels winged on the distal 2/3, wings to 1 mm wide, entire, abruptly pointed;
sterile florets 2, subequal to equal, 0.6-1.2 mm, about 1/5 the length of the bisexual florets, with a tuft of hair at the base, otherwise glabrous;
bisexual florets 4.4-5 mm long, 1.3-2 mm wide, hairy, shiny, brown to dark brown at maturity, acute;
anthers 3-4 mm.
3-5 mm, truncate to acute;
blades 5-10(15) cm long, 2-5 mm wide.
4-6(7) mm, rounded, lacerate;
blades 4-25 cm long, 3-8(10) mm wide.
= 14.
= 12.
Phalaris paradoxa
Phalaris brachystachys
Phalaris paradoxa is native to the Mediterranean region; it is now found throughout the world, primarily in harbor areas and near old ballast dumps. It is an established weed in parts of Arizona and California. Within an inflorescence, the most reduced sterile spikelets are located near the base, and the most nearly normal spikelets are near the top.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Phalaris brachystachys is native to the Mediterranean region and the Canary Islands, where it grows on waste ground, at the edges of cultivated fields, and on roadsides. It is adventive in northern Europe, Australia, and North America. It is known from a few locations in the Flora region, most of them in California.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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PNW Herbaria
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