Reed canary grass
Encyclopedia
Reed canarygrass, Phalaris arundinacea, is a tall, perennial
bunchgrass 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
, Asia
, northern Africa
and North America
.
blades are blue-green when fresh and straw-colored when dry. The flower
s are borne on the stem high above the leaves and are pinkish at full bloom.
s of P. arundinacea have been selected for use as ornamental plant
s, including variegated (striped) cultivars – sometimes called ribbon grass – such as 'Dwarfs Garters' and 'Strawberries and Cream'. The latter gets its name from the large white stripes and pinkish color that appears on the leaves at varying times. When grown, although drought-tolerant, it likes abundant water and can even be grown as an aquatic plant.
Reed canarygrass grows well on poor soils 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
sites.
The grass can also easily be turned into bricks or pellets for burning in biomass
power stations. Furthermore it provides fibers which find use in pulp and papermaking processes.
Reed canarygrass is also planted as a hay
crop or for forage
.
in wetlands, particularly in disturbed areas. When reed canary grass invades a wetland, it suppresses native vegetation and reduces diversity. The grass propagates by seed and rhizome, and once established, is difficult to eradicate.
, which can cause brain damage, other organ damage, central nervous system
damage and death in sheep.
Leaves of P. arundinacea contain DMT
, 5-MeO-DMT
and related compounds. Levels of beta-Carboline
s have also been reported.
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
bunchgrass 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
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, northern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Description
The stems can reach 2.5 m in height. The leafLeaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
blades are blue-green when fresh and straw-colored when dry. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are borne on the stem high above the leaves and are pinkish at full bloom.
Uses
A number of cultivarCultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s of P. arundinacea have been selected for use as ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
s, including variegated (striped) cultivars – sometimes called ribbon grass – such as 'Dwarfs Garters' and 'Strawberries and Cream'. The latter gets its name from the large white stripes and pinkish color that appears on the leaves at varying times. When grown, although drought-tolerant, it likes abundant water and can even be grown as an aquatic plant.
Reed canarygrass grows well on poor soils and contaminated industrial sites, and researchers at Teesside University's Contaminated Land & Water Centre have suggested it as the ideal candidate for phytoremediation
Phytoremediation
Phytoremediation Phytoremediation Phytoremediation (from the Ancient Greek , and Latin (restoring balance or remediation) describes the treatment of environmental problems (bioremediation) through the use of plants that mitigate the environmental problem without the need to excavate the...
in improving soil quality and biodiversity at brownfield
Brownfield land
Brownfield sites are abandoned or underused industrial and commercial facilities available for re-use. Expansion or redevelopment of such a facility may be complicated by real or perceived environmental contaminations. Cf. Waste...
sites.
The grass can also easily be turned into bricks or pellets for burning in biomass
Biomass
Biomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
power stations. Furthermore it provides fibers which find use in pulp and papermaking processes.
Reed canarygrass is also planted as a hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
crop or for forage
Forage
Forage is plant material 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 more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially...
.
Invasiveness
In many places, reed canarygrass is an invasive speciesInvasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
in wetlands, particularly in disturbed areas. When reed canary grass invades a wetland, it suppresses native vegetation and reduces diversity. The grass propagates by seed and rhizome, and once established, is difficult to eradicate.
Chemical properties
Some Phalaris species contain gramineGramine
Gramine 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:...
, which can cause brain damage, other organ damage, central nervous system
Central nervous system
The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...
damage and death in sheep.
Leaves of P. arundinacea contain DMT
Dimethyltryptamine
N,N-Dimethyltryptamine is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound of the tryptamine family. DMT is found in several plants, and also in trace amounts in humans and other mammals, where it is originally derived from the essential amino acid tryptophan, and ultimately produced by the enzyme INMT...
, 5-MeO-DMT
5-MeO-DMT
5-MeO-DMT is a powerful psychedelic tryptamine. It is found in a wide variety of plant and psychoactive toad species and, like its close relatives DMT and bufotenin , it has been used as an entheogen by South American shamans for thousands of years.-Chemistry:5-MeO-DMT was first synthesized in...
and related compounds. Levels of beta-Carboline
Beta-carboline
β-Carboline is an organic amine that is the prototype of a class of compounds known as β-carbolines.-Pharmacology:...
s have also been reported.