Phalaris arundinacea

Variegated form, garden of Islington College, Nepal

Phalaris arundinacea, or reed canary grass,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref name=grin>Template:GRIN</ref> Other common names for the plant include gardener's-garters and ribbon grass in English, alpiste roseau in French, Rohrglanzgras in German, kusa-yoshi in Japanese, caniço-malhado in Portuguese, and hierba cinta and pasto cinto in Spanish.<ref name=usda>Phalaris arundinacea. USDA NRCS Plant Guide.</ref>

Description

The stems can reach Template:Convert in height.<ref name=fs>Template:Cite web</ref> The leaf blades are usually green, but may be variegated. The panicles are up to Template:Convert long.<ref name=fs/> The spikelets are light green, often streaked with darker green or purple.<ref name=china>Phalaris arundinacea. Flora of China.</ref> This is a perennial grass which spreads underground by its thick rhizomes.<ref name=fs/>

Uses

A number of cultivars of P. arundinacea have been selected for use as ornamental plants, including variegated (striped) cultivars – sometimes called ribbon grass – such as 'Castor' and 'Feesey'. The latter has a pink tinge to the leaves.<ref name=mobot>Phalaris arundinacea var. picta 'Feesey'.</ref> When grown, although drought-tolerant, it likes abundant water and can even be grown as an aquatic plant.<ref name=mobot/>

Reed canary grass grows well on poor soil and contaminated industrial sites. Researchers at Teesside University's Contaminated Land & Water Centre have suggested it is ideal for phytoremediation, which improves soil quality and biodiversity at brownfield sites.Template:Citation needed

The grass can also easily be turned into bricks or pellets for burning in biomass power stations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Furthermore, it provides fibers which find use in pulp and papermaking processes.<ref name=anders>Andersson, B. and E. Lindvall. Use of biomass from reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) as raw material for production of paper pulp and fuel. Template:Webarchive internationalgrasslands.org.</ref>

P. arundinacea is also planted as a hay crop or for forage.

This species of Phalaris may also be used as a source of the psychedelic drugs DMT, 5-MeO-DMT and 5-OH-DMT (bufotenin), as well as Hordenine and 5-MeO-NMT;<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> however, N,N-DMT is considered most desirable. Although the concentrations of these compounds are lower than in other potential sources, such as Psychotria viridis and Mimosa tenuiflora, large enough quantities of the grass can be refined to make an ad hoc ayahuasca brew.

Ecology

In many places, P. arundinacea is an invasive species in wetlands, particularly in disturbed areas.<ref name="Apfelbaum">Template:Cite journal</ref> It has been reported as an invasive weed in floodplains, riverside meadows, and other wetland habitats around the world. When P. arundinacea invades a wetland, it inhibits native vegetation and reduces biological diversity.<ref name=kim>Kim, K. D., et al. (2006). Controlling Phalaris arundinacea (reed canarygrass) with live willow stakes: A density-dependent response. Ecological Engineering 26 219–227.</ref> It alters the entire ecosystem.<ref name=lav>Lavergne, S. and J. Molofsky. (2004). Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) as a biological model in the study of plant invasions.Template:Dead link Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 23(5) 415–429.</ref> The grass propagates by seed and rhizome,<ref name="Apfelbaum" /> and once established, is difficult to eradicate.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Distribution

P. arundinacea now has a worldwide distribution. While it is generally considered to be native to both North America and Eurasia, this is a matter of debate. It appears that the North American populations are a mixture of introduced European cultivars and indigenous varieties.<ref name = CABI>Template:Cite journal citing, inter alia, Template:Cite book</ref>

Chemical properties

Specimens contain varying levels of hordenine and gramine.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Leaves of P. arundinacea contain DMT, 5-MeO-DMT and related compounds.<ref>Template:Cite web citing Template:Cite journal</ref> Levels of beta-carbolines<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and hordenine<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> have also been reported.

External links

• Flora Europaea: Phalaris arundinacea
• Jepson Manual Treatment - taxonomy and distribution within California