Phalaris minor Retz.   Poaceae (Grass Family)   Mediterranean   Mediterranean Canary Grass       Littleseed Canary Grass

                                              April Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Erect annual, 3-9 dm. tall; lvs. 4-15 mm. wide; panicle ovate-oblong, mostly 2-5 cm. long; spikelets narrow, one fld., laterally flattened and with 2 sterile lemmas below the fertile floret, the glumes oblong, 4-6 m. long, strongly winged on keel, +/- green-striped on wing; fertile lemma ovate, acute, villous, ca. 3 mm. long; sterile lemma ca. 1 mm. long.

Habitat:  Frequent weed in waste and disturbed places, many Plant Communities, cismontane; to Ore.; on most of our Ids.  April-July.

Name:  Phalaris, an ancient Greek name for grass.  Munz, (Flora So. Calif. 989).  Latin, minor, smaller.  (Jaeger 156).  I am not sure what characteristic of the species is smaller than in the other species. (my comment).  John Johnson suggests that at the time the plant was named that the other known species were all more robust.

General:  Occasional in the study area. The photographed specimen was in Santa Ana Heights.  (my comments).      This grass occurs throughout central and southern California and behaves as a weed in waste places and along roadsides, especially in heavy soil.  P. canariensis furnishes the canary seed of commerce.  (Robbins et al. 96-97).      Phalaris species have been known to cause hay fever and asthma.  (Fuller 383).      About 15 species in temperate Europe and America.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 989).

Text Ref:  Munz, Flora So. Calif. 989; Robbins et al. 97; Roberts 47.

Photo Ref:  Mar 5-April 1 85 # 24, no number; April-May 92 # 32.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by F. Roberts.

First Found:  April 1985.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 94.

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 11/26/04.  

                            April Photo                                                            April Photo