harding grass
Phalaris aquatica
This grass can cause 'staggers' in livestock due to its high concentration of dimethyltryptamine alkaloids.
- Scientific name
- Phalaris aquatica
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Liliopsida › Poales › Poaceae › Phalaris
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Riparian areas, moist pastures, and open grasslands.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic (Sunlight, CO2, Water)
- Range
- Mediterranean Basin, Australia, California, South Africa, South America
- Size
- 60 to 150 cm tall
- Lifespan
- Perennial (5-10+ years)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Land development, though it is often considered an invasive threat to native biodiversity itself.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to touch. Do not ingest, as it contains alkaloids that can be toxic to mammals. If skin irritation occurs after handling, wash with soap and water.
Phalaris aquatica (syn. P. tuberosa ) known by the common names bulbous canary-grass and Harding grass , is a species of grass in the genus Phalaris of the Poaceae Family.
Photo: John Tann, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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