Reed Canary-grass - Phalaris arundinacea

Description

A tall grass to 200 cm, stout and smooth stemmed, reed-like. Forms dense stands by means of creeping rhizomes. Panicles 5 to 25 cm long, spikelets sometimes flushed purple.

Identification difficulty
ID guidance

The panicle is branched. Each spikelet contains only one fertile floret usually completely enclosed by its glumes. Many leaves are more than 1cm wide. Often growing by water

Habitat

Damp places, ditches, beside water etc.

When to see it

June to August.

Life History

Perennial.

UK Status

Widespread and common throughout Britain.

VC55 Status

Common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 491 of the 617 tetrads.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Reed Canary-grass
Species group:
Grasses, Rushes & Sedges
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Poales
Family:
Poaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
99
First record:
01/01/1979 (Patricia Evans)
Last record:
03/03/2024 (Smith, Peter)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

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