# harding grass

*Phalaris aquatica*

This grass can cause 'staggers' in livestock due to its high concentration of dimethyltryptamine alkaloids.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/97d69496-e0c5-4479-9382-3a9b11a6bbce
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/57188
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalaris aquatica
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/84606356/medium.jpg (John Tann, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.