Open Herbarium - Phalaris minor

Phalaris minor Retz.
Family: Poaceae Lesser Canarygrass [Phalaris minor var. gracilis (Parl.) Parl.] Linda Ann Vorobik and Hana Pazdírková, Illustrators	Flora of North America Resources Mary E. Barkworth Plants annual. Culms 10-100 cm, not swollen at the base. Ligules 5-12 mm, truncate to rounded, often lacerate; blades 3-15 cm long, 2-10 mm wide, smooth, shiny. Panicles 1-8 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, dense, ovoid-lanceoloid, truncate to rounded at the base, rounded apically, the spikelets borne individually, not clustered. Spikelets homogamous, all spikelets with a bisexual floret; florets 2; disarticulation above the glumes, beneath the sterile florets. Glumes 4-6.5 mm long, 1.2-2 mm wide, keels winged distally, wings 0.3-0.5 mm wide,irregularly dentate or crenate, occasionally entire, varying within a panicle, lateral veins conspicuous, smooth; sterile florets 1, 0.7-1.8 mm, linear, glabrous or almost so; bisexual florets 2.5-4 mm long, 1.2-1.8 mm wide, pubescent, dull yellow when immature, becoming shiny gray-brown at maturity, acute to somewhat acuminate; anthers 1-2 mm. 2n = 28, 29. Phalaris minor is native around the Mediterranean and in northwestern Asia, but is now found throughout the world. Even where it is native, it usually grows in disturbed ground, often around harbors and near refuse dumps. Although it has been found at numerous locations in the United States, it is only established in the southern portion of the Flora region. The compact panicle with its truncate to rounded base and the rather variable edges of the glume wings usually distinguish Phalaris minor from other species in the genus.
Open Interactive Map Keir Morse Malcolm Storey; BioImages - the Virtual Fieldguide (UK) Biopix Keir Morse Biopix Keir Morse Anum Ali Click to Display 18 Total Images