Phalaris minor
Little-seeded canary grass
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Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Not Native
Phalaris minor (Little-seeded canary grass) is a non-native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by single sterile lemma vs. paired in other species.
Little-seeded canary grass is a naturalized annual grass found in California's Central Valley, western foothills, and desert regions in disturbed areas and cultivated fields at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from April to July, this grass produces pale green to white spikelets in dense, oblong clusters 2 to 8 centimeters long. Growing with slender stems 20 to 100 centimeters tall, it has an upright and somewhat branching habit. Its leaves are flat and narrow, typically green and lance-shaped, with smooth margins characteristic of grass species. The plant produces small, hairy fertile lemmas approximately 2.5 to 4 millimeters long, which are distinctive in its reproductive structures.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 10 sympatric species; key feature is single sterile lemma vs. paired in other species
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed areas, cultivated fields
Elevation: < 1000 m
California counties: San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Riverside, Yolo, Santa Clara, Ventura, Kern, Orange, Los Angeles, San Mateo, San Diego, Marin, Imperial, Monterey, San Joaquin, Contra Costa, Yuba, Inyo, Sonoma, San Francisco, Glenn, Kings, Sacramento, San Benito, Sutter, Alameda, Butte, Colusa, Lake, Humboldt, Solano, Calaveras, Stanislaus, Tulare, El Dorado, Napa, Madera, Fresno, Merced, Shasta, Placer
Outside California: to eastern United States, native to Mediterranean
Bloom period
Phalaris minor blooms Apr-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Phleum: Phalaris has an ovate to oblong spike-like panicle with keeled, often winged glumes; timothy is a slender cylindric spike with short-awned, stiffly ciliate-keeled glumes.; vs Alopecurus: Phalaris glumes are free and winged and the shiny fertile lemma is flanked by tiny sterile scales; foxtail has glumes joined at the base and a single awned lemma.; vs Anthoxanthum: Both are spike-like, but sweet vernalgrass smells of coumarin and has two awned sterile lemmas; Phalaris is scentless with reduced scale-like sterile florets.; vs Setaria: Phalaris spikes lack bristles entirely; bristlegrass spikelets are each subtended by persistent bristles.; vs Beckmannia: Phalaris spikelets carry prominent winged glumes; sloughgrass has small round, laterally flattened spikelets crowded on one-sided spikes.
Frequently asked questions
Is Phalaris minor native to California?
No. Phalaris minor is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Phalaris minor bloom?
Phalaris minor blooms Apr-Jul.
Where in California does Phalaris minor grow?
Phalaris minor occurs in San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Riverside, Yolo, Santa Clara, Ventura and other counties, at elevations of < 1000 m.
What plant family does Phalaris minor belong to?
Phalaris minor is in the Poaceae family, genus Phalaris.
What habitat does Phalaris minor grow in?
Phalaris minor grows in Disturbed areas, cultivated fields.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.