Description
Phalaris arundinacea (Reed Canary-Grass) is a grass of Holarctic distribution, considered native in North America and Eurasia (Hitchcock and Chase 1950; Dore and McNeill 1980). It is included in this database because cultivated varieties have long been imported from Europe as pasture grasses and ornamentals. Native and introduced populations cannot easily be separated morphologically, although densely growing, leafy populations with limited flowering, found in disturbed floodplains, are suspected as being introduced (Dore and McNeill 1980). Introduced genotypes are believed to have contributed to the invasiveness of many local populations of this species in North America (Dore and McNeill 1980; Morrison and Molofsky 1998; Galatowitsch et al. 1999).
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plantae | Magnoliophyta | Liliopsida | Cyperales | Poaceae | Phalaris |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1837 | Established | Expanding | Cryptogenic | Regular Resident | Europe | Eurasia | Shipping(Dry Ballast), Agriculture(Agricultural Weed) |
History of Spread
Phalaris arundinacea (Reed Canary-Grass) is a grass of wide temperate-zone distribution, believed to be native in Europe, Asia, and North America, and perhaps Australia and South Africa (Hitchcock and Chase 1950; Dore and McNeill 1980). It is included in this database because cultivated varieties have long been imported from Europe as pasture grasses and ornamentals. Native and introduced populations cannot easily be separated morphologically. Introduced genotypes are believed to have contributed to the invasiveness of many local populations of this species in North America (Dore and McNeill 1980; Morrison and Molofsky 1998; Galatowitsch et al. 1999), particularly in densely settled and farmed areas. In more remote areas, such as the shores of the upper Great Lakes, British Columbia, Alaska, etc., the populations are probably native (Dore and McNeill 1980).
The ornamental variety of P. arundinacea var. picta (Ribbon-Grass) was introduced to North America very early, and reported as an escape by Barton (1818) in Philadelphia. Field trials of cultivated pasture varieties of P. arundinacea occurred as early as 1834 in Connecticut and New Hampshire, and plantings of European clones took place across North America. By 1885, cultivated fields were planted in Oregon (Galatowitsch et al. 1999). Since this grass is common in estuaries and on disturbed land (Britton 1889), its transport in dry ballast is also likely.
In the Chesapeake Bay region, the first published record is from 'cultivated fields' in the Baltimore area (Aikin 1837). It was listed for fresh tidal marshes by Tiner and Burke (1995). It occurs in the intertidal zone of tidal fresh marshes at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (Fofonoff personal observations; US National Herbarium collections). Recent collections have been made on in tidal marshes on Columbia Island, Arlington VA in the Potomac (1989) and near the upper Bay on Mosquito Creek, Aberdeen Proving Grounds (1999). On the mesohaline Rhode River, Edgewater MD, it grows at the uppermost edge of the intertidal zone in several locations, possibly because of low salinity tolerance (Fofonoff personal observations; Hines et al., unpublished data). In VA, this grass occurs near sea-level only in Fairfax, Arlington, and Accomack Counties, and is otherwise confined to the Piedmont and Mountain regions (Harvill et al. 1992).
History References- Aikin 1837; Barton 1818; Britton 1889; Dore and McNeill 1980; Galatowitsch et al. 1999; Harvill et al. 1992; Hines et al., unpublished data; Morrison and Molofsky 1998; Tiner and Burke 1995
Invasion Comments
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | ||||
| Salinity (‰) | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Oxygen | ||||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | fresh-meso |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | 600.0 | 600.0 |
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | 1050.0 | 1050.0 |
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | 1500.0 | 1500.0 |
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | ||
| Typical Longevity (yrs |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
|||
| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
Phalaris arundinacea (Reed Canary-Grass) was first reported from 'cultivated fields' in the Chesapeake Bay region (Aikin 1837), and is widely cultivated as a pasture grass (Brown and Brown 1984). This grass is included on a list of invasive plants in MD wetlands (Cooley 1993), but the extent of its impacts in Chesapeake Bay proper is unclear. It is thought to decrease the quality of wildlife habitat in wetlands (Washington Department of Ecology 1998).
References- Aikin 1837; Brown and Brown 1984; Cooley 1993; Washington Department of Ecology 1998
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
European strains of Phalaris arundinacea (Reed Canary-Grass) widely introduced to North America as pasture grasses, and are still widely planted (Dore and McNeill 1980; Galatowitsch et al. 1999).. The extent of their impacts in estuarine wetlands is unclear. Phalaris arundinacea is thought to decrease the quality of wildlife habitat in wetlands, and increase clogging and siltation in irrigation ditches (Apfelbaum and Sams 1987; Washington Department of Ecology 1998).
References- Apfelbaum and Sams 1987; Dore and McNeill 1980; Galatowitsch et al. 1999; Washington Department of Ecology 1998
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Phalaris arundinacea (Reed Canary-Grass) is increasing recognized as a a problematic invasive plant in wetlands in much of North America (Apfelbaum and Sams 1987; Galatowitsch et al. 1999; Washington Department of Ecology 1998). While this species is native to North America, invasive populations are suspected of containing introduced genotypes (Dore and McNeill 1980; Morrison and Molfsky 1998). This grass occurs along the northern part of the Chesapeake Bay, and the upper Potomac estuary (Fofonoff, personal observations; Tiner and Burke 1995; U.S. National Herbarium Collections), but its abundance and the extent of its impacts is unclear.
Competition- Phalaris arundinacea was included on a list of invasive plants in Maryland wetlands (Cooley 1993). This species is locally abundant in freshwater nontidal wetlands at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, but is confined to the upper-most margins of mesohaline tidal marshes (Fofonoff, personal observation). The extent of its impact in Chesapeake Bay tidal wetlands is unclear.
Phalaris arundinacea forms dense rapidly-growing monocultures, with stems 1-2 m tall, in moist soils and shallow water, and may crowd out native flora (Apfelbaum and Sams 1987; Galatowitsch et al. 1999; Washington Department of Ecology 1998).
Habitat Change- Phalaris arundinacea is considered to be poor wildlife habitat, because of the density of its stands (Washington Department of Ecology 1998).
References- Apfelbaum and Sams 1987; Cooley 1993; Dore and McNeill 1980; Fofonoff, personal observations; Galatowitsch et al. 1999; Morrison and Molfsky 1998; Tiner and Burke 1995; U.S. National Herbarium Collections; Washington Department of Ecology 1998
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Phalaris arundinacea (Reed Canary-Grass) grass occurs along the northern part of the Chesapeake Bay, and the upper Potomac estuary (Fofonoff, personal observations; Tiner and Burke 1995; U.S. National Herbarium Collections), but its abundance and the extent of its impacts is unclear.
Competition- Phalaris arundinacea was one of the few species capable of outgrowing Lythrum salicaria (Purple Loosestrife) in competition (Anderson 1995; Gaudet and Keddy 1988). However, the extent to which this competitive interaction occurs in Chesapeake Bay is not clear.
References- Anderson 1995; Fofonoff, personal observations; Gaudet and Keddy 1988; Tiner and Burke 1995; U.S. National Herbarium Collections
References
Aikin, W. E. A. (1837) Catalogue of phenogamous plants and ferns, native or naturalized, growing in the vicinity of Baltimore, Maryland., Transactions of the Maryland Academy of Sciences and Literature 1: 55-91Anderson, Mark G. (1995) Interactions between Lythrum salicaria and native organisms: A critical review, Environmental Management 19: 225-231
Apfelbaum, Stephen I.; Sams, Charles E. (1987) Ecology and control of reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.), Natural Areas Journal 7: 69-74
Barton, W. C. (1818) Compendium florae Philadelphicae, In: (Eds.) . , Philadelphia. Pp.
Britton, Nathaniel L. (1889) Catalogue of higher plants of New Jersey., , Trenton NJ. Pp.
Brown, Melvin L.; Brown, Russell G. (1984) Herbaceous Plants of Maryland, , College Park. Pp.
Caldwell, Fredericka Ann; Crow, Garrett E. (1992) A floristic and vegetation analysis of a freshwater tidal marsh on the Merrimack River, West Newbury, Massachusetts., Rhodora 94: 63-97
Cooley, Gene (1993) Invasive exotic plants that threaten native species and natural habitats in Maryland., , Annapolis MD. Pp.
Dore, William G.; McNeill, J. (1980) Grasses of Ontario, Agriculture Canada Monograph 26: 1-566
Galatowitsch, Susan M.; Anderson, Neil O.; Ascher, Peter D. (1999) Invasiveness in wetland plants in temperate North America, Wetlands 19: 733-755
Gaudet, Connie L.; Keddy, Paul A. (1988) A comparative approach to predicting competitive ability from plant traits, Nature 334: 242-243
Gleason, Henry A.; Cronquist, Arthur (1991) Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , Bronx, New York. Pp.
Harvill, A. M.; Bradley, Ted R.; Stevens, Charles E.; Wieboldt, Thomas F.; Ware, Donna M. E.; Ogle, Douglas W.; Ramsey, Gwynn W.; Fleming, Gary P. (1992) Atlas of the Virginia Flora, , Burkeville, VA. Pp.
Hitchcock, A. S.; Chase, Agnes (1950) Manual of Grasses of the United States., In: (Eds.) . , Washington, D.C.. Pp.
Hitchcock, A. S.; Standley, P. C. (1919) Flora of the District of Columbia and Vicinity., In: (Eds.) . , Washington, D. C.. Pp.
LeFor, Michael W. (1987) Phalaris arundinacea L. (Reed Canary Grass-Gramineae) as a hydrophyte in Essex, Connecticut, USA, Environmental Management 11: 771-773
Morrison, Shannon L.; Molofsky, Jane (1998) Efects of genotypes, soil moisture, and competition on the growth of an invasive grass, Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass), Canadian Journal of Botany 76: 1939-1946
1997-2024 USDA PLANTS Database.. Onine databse
Shreve, Forrest M.; Chrysler, M. A.; Blodgett, Frederck H.; Besley, F. W. (1910) The Plant Life of Maryland, , Baltmore. Pp.
Tiner, Ralph W., Jr. (1987) A field guide to coastal wetland plants of the Northeastern United States., , Amherst MA. Pp.
Tiner, Ralph W., Jr.; Burke, David G. (1995) Wetlands of Maryland, , Newton Corner, MA. Pp.
2024 Fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana).