Canary-grass - Phalaris canariensis

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Description

This grass is 20 to 60 cm tall with leaves that reach a maximum of 10 mm wide. The panicle is ovoid, not lobed and only 1.5 to 6 cm long x 12 to 22 mm wide.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

A casual weed of waste ground and rubbish dumps, often introduced in bird seed mixes.

When to see it

Flowers June to September.

Life History

Annual.

UK Status

Occasional but widespread in much of Britain although mainly coastal in Scotland.

VC55 Status

Occasional casual in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 52 of the 617 tetrads.

  • Graham Calow
    Stockhill Farm, near Broughton Astley
    09 August 2017
  • Graham Calow
    Stockhill Farm, near Broughton Astley
    09 August 2017
  • David Nicholls
    Ratby
    19 June 2015
  • steven lewis
    welby
    28 August 2016
  • David Nicholls
    Ratby
    19 June 2015
  • Graham Calow
    Sapcote, William Spencer Avenue
    31 October 2019
  • Craig Mabbett
    Stockhill Farm Near Broughton Astley
    09 August 2017
  • Graham Calow
    Stockhill Farm, near Broughton Astley
    09 August 2017

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species data profile ?

Species profile

Common names
Canary-grass
Species group:
Grasses, Rushes & Sedges
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Poales
Family:
Poaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
14
First record:
19/06/2015 (Nicholls, David)
Last record:
06/10/2023 (Calow, Graham)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

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Latest images

Latest records

  • Graham Calow
    Sapcote, William Spencer Avenue
    31 October 2019
  • steven lewis
    welby
    28 August 2016
  • Ray Pearce
    Shepshed garden
    30 August 2018
  • Craig Mabbett
    Victoria Park Leicester
    18 October 2018