Reed Canarygrass
Phalaris arundinacea
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Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) is a cool-season perennial grass that can grow very tall, usually 3- to 6-feet. Although there are native canarygrasses in North America, the invasive reed canarygrass originating in Europe and Asia can quickly dominate and outcompete native vegetation within wetland ecosystems, such as banks, pond/lake margins, and marshes. Once established, this perennial grass is extremely difficult to eradicate.
Reed canarygrass self-seeds and can sprout and spread from any tiny segment of root or rhizome, facilitating its invasion of wetlands. From spring to early summer, leaves are flat, green, and usually 8- to 16-inches long, but tend to brown as the summer continues. Conspicuous airy panicles of greenish white to pale pink flowers bloom above the foliage in early summer. Reed canarygrass has been observed within the Mountains and Piedmont of North Carolina. Fact Sheet: Reed Canarygrass
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Photo Credit: Jamie Nielsen, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Cooperative Extension Service, Bugwood.org
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