Phalaris canariensis
L.Tufted annual, culms erect or geniculate at base, sometimes branched, to 120 cm high. Leaves glabrous; blade to 30 cm long and 12 mm wide, finely scabrous; ligule obtuse, membranous, 3–8 mm long. Panicle very dense, ovoid, 1.5–5 cm long. Spikelets 6–9 mm long; glumes 3-nerved, equal, broadly winged on the keel above midway; sterile lemmas subequal, oblong, 2.5–4 mm long, acute at apex, glabrous or sparsely hairy; fertile lemma ovate-lanceolate, 5–6 mm long, with semi-appressed hairs. Flowers Sep.–Dec.
Wim, VVP, VRiv, GipP, Gold, NIS, HSF. Naturalised in all States except ACT. Native to the western Mediterranean region but naturalised in many temperate countries. Widely cultivated for bird-seed. In Victoria, populations tend to be sporadic and short-lived, e.g. Robinvale in the north-west, Rockbank near Melbourne.
Walsh, N.G. (1994). Poaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 2, Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons, pp. 356–627. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
