Poaceae

Reed canary grass

Phalaris arundinacea L.

Family: Poaceae
Genus: Phalaris

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Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) — FlowerPhoto: Tom Norton, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (36)

Arabic: خرفار قصبي, فالاريس قصبي
arz: خرفار قصبى
Belarusian: Чаротніца трыснёгападобная
Bulgarian: Разклонена тръстичина
Catalan: Baldingère
Chinese: 虉草, 鷸草, 鹬草, 五色草, 玉带草
Czech: Chrastice rákosovitá, Lesknice rákosovitá
Danish: Rørgræs
Dutch: Rietgras
English: Reed canary grass, Reed canarygrass, Reed Canary-grass, Reed-grass, reed-canary grass
Esperanto: Arunda falarido
Estonian: Päideroog, Harilik paelrohi
Finnish: Ruokohelpi, Viiruhelpi
French: Baldingère, Alpiste faux roseau, Alpiste faux-roseau, Baldingère faux-roseau
German: Rohrglanzgras, Rohr-Glanzgras, Baldingère, Havelmielitz
hsb: Wódna błysknica
Icelandic: Strandreyr
Japanese: クサヨシ
Korean: 갈풀
Latvian: Parastais miežabrālis, Miežabrāļi, Parastais miežubrālis
Lithuanian: Nendrinis dryžutis, Baldingère
Nepali: सेतो दूबो
Norwegian Bokmål: Strandrør, Båndgress
Norwegian Nynorsk: Strandrøyr, Strandrør
pcd: Baliyéte, Iérpe-du-monte, Iérpe-à-ruban
Persian: فلاریس آراندیناکئا
Polish: Mozga trzcinowata
Portuguese: Capim-amarelo
Romanian: Erbăluță
Russian: Канареечник тростниковидный, Двукисточник тростниковидный, Двукисточник тростниковый, Канареечник тростниковый
Spanish: Hierba cinta
Swedish: Rörflen, Baldingère
Turkish: Yem kanyaşı
Ukrainian: Очеретянка звичайна
vep: Šuuk
Welsh: Pefrwellt

Synonyms

Arundo colorata Aiton
Arundo riparia Salisb.
Baldingera arundinacea (L.) Dumort.
Baldingera arundinacea f. colorata P.Gaertn., B.Mey. & Scherb.
Baldingera arundinacea f. colorata G.M.Sch.
Baldingera arundinacea f. rotgesii (Foucaud & Mandon ex Husn.) Foucaud & Mandon
Baldingera arundinacea f. umbrosa Peterm.
Baldingera arundinacea var. alba Tinant
Baldingera arundinacea var. picta (L.) Nyman
Baldingera arundinacea var. picta (L.) Peterm.
Baldingera arundinacea var. rotgesii Husn.
Baldingera arundinacea var. variegata Coss. & Germ.
Baldingera colorata (Sibth.) G.Gaertn., B.Mey. & Scherb.
Calamagrostis colorata Sibth.
Calamagrostis colorata var. variegata Chevall.
Calamagrostis variegata With.
Digraphis americana Elliott ex G.Don
Digraphis arundinacea (L.) Trin.
Digraphis arundinacea var. picta (L.) T.Marsson
Endallex arundinacea Raf. ex B.D.Jacks.
Endallex arundinacea Raf.
Phalaridantha arundinacea (L.) St.-Lag.
Phalaridantha arundinacea var. variegata (Parn.) Cariot
Phalaris americana var. picta Eaton & Wright
Phalaris arundinacea f. arundinacea
Phalaris arundinacea f. coarctata (Prahl) Junge
Phalaris arundinacea f. luteopicta Voss.
Phalaris arundinacea f. minor Jansen & Wacht.
Phalaris arundinacea f. pallens Stebler ex Hegi
Phalaris arundinacea f. pallida A.F.Schwarz
Phalaris arundinacea f. picta (L.) B.P.R.Chéron
Phalaris arundinacea f. ramifera Junge
Phalaris arundinacea f. ramosa Gaudin
Phalaris arundinacea f. thyrsoidea (Willk.) Paunero
Phalaris arundinacea f. variegata (With.) Druce
Phalaris arundinacea subsp. hispanica (Coincy) Kerguélen
Phalaris arundinacea subsp. oehleri Pilg.
Phalaris arundinacea subsp. picta (L.) Arcang.
Phalaris arundinacea subsp. rotgesii (Husn.) Kerguélen
Phalaris arundinacea subsp. typica Paunero

and 42 more.

Flowers

In flower: June to July (from 477 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Flower colour: yellow (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Graminoid
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Alaska: introduced, Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native, St. Pierre and Miquelon: introduced

Toxicity: Slight, as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29). USDA rates how toxic a plant is to people or livestock; it is not a pet-safety rating, so ask a vet or poison line if a pet or child ate it.

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Tom Norton, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Mary Krieger, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Andreas Schneider, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Andreas Schneider, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Franz Xaver, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Manuel R Popp, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Gavin Slater, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Mike B, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Phalaris

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.