![Phalaris arundinacea NP](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Phalaris_arundinacea_NP.JPG)
''Phalaris arundinacea'', or reed canary grass, is a tall,
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
bunchgrass
Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennial ...
that commonly forms extensive single-species stands along the margins of lakes and streams and in wet open areas, with a wide distribution in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
,
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
, northern
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
and
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
.
Other common names for the plant include gardener's-garters in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, ''alpiste roseau'' in
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, ''Rohrglanzgras'' in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
, ''kusa-yoshi'' in
Japanese, ''caniço-malhado'' in
Portuguese, and ''hierba cinta'' and ''pasto cinto'' in
Spanish.
[''Phalaris arundinacea''.]
USDA NRCS Plant Guide.
Description
The stems can reach in height.
[Waggy, Melissa, A. 2010. ]
'. In: Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. The
leaf
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...
blades are usually green, but may be
variegated
Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the leaves and sometimes the stems and fruit of plants. Species with variegated individuals are sometimes found in the understory of tropical rainforests, and this habitat is the s ...
. The
panicle
A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...
s are up to 30 centimeters long.
[ The spikelets are light green, often streaked with darker green or purple.][''Phalaris arundinacea''.]
Flora of China. This is a perennial grass which spreads underground by its thick rhizomes
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
.[
]
Uses
A number of cultivars
A cultivar is a type of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and when Plant propagation, propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and st ...
of ''P. arundinacea'' have been selected for use as ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...
s, including variegated (striped) cultivars – sometimes called ribbon grass – such as 'Castor' and 'Feesey'. The latter has a pink tinge to the leaves.[''Phalaris arundinacea'' var. ''picta'' 'Feesey'.]
/ref> When grown, although drought-tolerant, it likes abundant water and can even be grown as an aquatic plant.[
Reed canary grass grows well on poor soil and contaminated industrial sites, and researchers at Teesside University's Contaminated Land & Water Centre have suggested it as the ideal candidate for phytoremediation in improving soil quality and biodiversity at ]brownfield
In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land prev ...
sites.
The grass can also easily be turned into bricks or pellets for burning in biomass
Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bi ...
power stations. Furthermore, it provides fibers which find use in pulp and papermaking processes.[Andersson, B. and E. Lindvall]
Use of biomass from reed canary grass (''Phalaris arundinacea'') as raw material for production of paper pulp and fuel.
internationalgrasslands.org.
''P. arundinacea'' is also planted as a hay
Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated ...
crop or for forage
Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used m ...
.
This species of ''Phalaris'' may also be used as a source for the psychedelic drug
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science o ...
s DMT
''N'',''N''-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT or ''N'',''N''-DMT, SPL026) is a substituted tryptamine that occurs in many plants and animals, including human beings, and which is both a derivative and a structural analog of tryptamine. It is used as a ...
, 5-MeO-DMT
5-MeO-DMT (5-methoxy-''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine) or O-methyl-bufotenin is a psychedelic of the tryptamine class. It is found in a wide variety of plant species, and also is secreted by the glands of at least one toad species, the Colorado Ri ...
and 5-OH-DMT (bufotenin), as well as Hordenine and 5-MeO-NMT
5-MeO-NMT (5-methoxy-''N''-methyltryptamine) is an organic chemical compound, being the 5-methoxy analog (chemistry), analog of N-Methyltryptamine, ''N''-methyltryptamine (NMT). It was first isolated from ''Phalaris arundinacea'' (reed canary gras ...
; however, N,N-DMT is considered most desirable. Although the concentrations of these compounds is lower than in other potential sources, such as ''Psychotria viridis
''Psychotria viridis'', also known as ''chacruna'', ''chacrona'', or ''chaqruy'' in the Quechua languages, is a perennial, shrubby flowering plant in the coffee family Rubiaceae. It is a close relative of '' Psychotria carthagenensis'' (a.k.a. ' ...
'' and '' Mimosa tenuiflora'', large enough quantities of the grass can be refined to make an ad hoc ayahuasca
AyahuascaPronounced as in the UK and in the US. Also occasionally known in English as ''ayaguasca'' (Spanish-derived), ''aioasca'' (Brazilian Portuguese-derived), or as ''yagé'', pronounced or . Etymologically, all forms but ''yagé'' descen ...
brew.
Ecology
In many places, ''P. arundinacea'' is an invasive species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...
in wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
s, particularly in disturbed areas. It has been reported as an invasive weed in floodplain
A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...
s, riverside meadow
A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifi ...
s, and other wetland habitat types around the world. When ''P. arundinacea'' invades a wetland, it inhibits native vegetation and reduces biological diversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') lev ...
.[Kim, K. D., et al. (2006)]
Controlling ''Phalaris arundinacea'' (reed canarygrass) with live willow stakes: A density-dependent response.
''Ecological Engineering'' 26 219–227. It alters the entire ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
.[Lavergne, S. and J. Molofsky. (2004)]
Reed canary grass (''Phalaris arundinacea'') as a biological model in the study of plant invasions.
''Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences'' 23(5) 415–429. The grass propagates by seed and rhizome, and once established, is difficult to eradicate.
Distribution
''P. arundinacea'' now has world-wide distribution. It is regarded as native to both North America and Eurasia, but this is debated and it appears that the populations in North America are made up of a mixture of cultivars of both those that were introduced from Europe and indigenous varieties.[ ''citing, inter alia,'' ]
Chemical properties
Specimins contain varying levels of hordenine and gramine
Gramine (also called donaxine) is a naturally occurring indole alkaloid present in several plant species. Gramine may play a defensive role in these plants, since it is toxic to many organisms.
Occurrence
Gramine has been found in the giant reed, ...
.
Leaves of ''P. arundinacea'' contain DMT
''N'',''N''-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT or ''N'',''N''-DMT, SPL026) is a substituted tryptamine that occurs in many plants and animals, including human beings, and which is both a derivative and a structural analog of tryptamine. It is used as a ...
, 5-MeO-DMT
5-MeO-DMT (5-methoxy-''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine) or O-methyl-bufotenin is a psychedelic of the tryptamine class. It is found in a wide variety of plant species, and also is secreted by the glands of at least one toad species, the Colorado Ri ...
and related compounds. Levels of beta-carbolines and hordenine have also been reported.
See also
*Waterside hot water hay pellet furnace
The waterside hot water hay pellet furnace is a technology that was developed to convert grass and hay into an energy that can be used in home heating. It's also known as grass pellet heating.
The waterside hot water hay pellet furnace was invent ...
References
External links
Flora Europaea: ''Phalaris arundinacea''
USDA Plants Database: ''Phalaris arundinacea''
Jepson Manual Treatment - taxonomy and distribution within California
{{Authority control
Bunchgrasses of Africa
Bunchgrasses of Asia
Bunchgrasses of Europe
Bunchgrasses of North America
Flora of Korea
Garden plants of Asia
Garden plants of Europe
Garden plants of North America
Grasses of Canada
Grasses of the United States
Herbal and fungal hallucinogens
arundinacea
Phytoremediation plants
Plants described in 1753
Psychedelic tryptamine carriers
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus