Phalaris canariensis

Canary grass, Canary Grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Canary grass is a naturalized annual found in coastal, northern California, Sacramento Valley, central western California, southern coastal, western Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and desert mountain regions of Inyo County in disturbed areas at elevations below 400 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces pale green to whitish flowers in dense, ovoid to oblong clusters 2 to 5 centimeters long. Growing with robust stems 30 to 100 centimeters tall, it spreads quickly in open, disturbed landscapes. Its dense, narrow leaves are typically flat and bright green, arranged alternately along the stem. The fruit is a small, slightly hairy grain approximately 3 to 4 millimeters long.

Habitat: Disturbed areas

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: < 400 m

Bioregions: NCo, KR, ScV, CW, SCo, WTR, PR, DMtns (Inyo Co.)

California counties: Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Santa Cruz, Kern, Monterey, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Solano, Inyo, Sacramento, Riverside, Yolo, Marin, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Butte, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Alameda, Humboldt, Lake, Placer

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.