canary grass

American  

noun

1. any of various grasses of the genus Phalaris, as P. canariensis, native to the Canary Islands, bearing seed used as food for cage birds, or P. arundinacea reed canary grass, used throughout the Northern Hemisphere as fodder.

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canary grass British  

noun

1. any of various grasses of the genus Phalaris, esp P. canariensis, that is native to Europe and N Africa and has straw-coloured seeds used as birdseed

2. a related plant, Phalaris arundinacea, used as fodder throughout the N hemisphere

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Etymology

Origin of canary grass

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

The endangered frogs at Mima Creek also responded well to the labor Yancey’s cows perform there: eating their way through tall thickets of invasive reed canary grass.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 18, 2023

Freed and his team no longer have to hack out the reed canary grass by hand.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 18, 2023

Cool wind blew through the reed canary grass.

From Seattle Times • May 12, 2023

It wasn’t long before reed canary grass, an invasive plant species, moved in, choking out native plant species and reducing habitat available to fish.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 11, 2022

We have become interested in Reed canary grass.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 41st Annual Meeting Pleasant Valley, New York, August 28, 29 and 30, 1950 by Northern Nut Growers Association