Phalaris caroliniana Walter

Erect annual 3–9 dm; main cauline lvs mostly 5–12 cm × 4–8 mm; ligules 1–3 mm; infl 2–6 cm, cylindric to ellipsoid, spike-like and scarcely or not at all lobed; glumes 4.5–6 mm, glabrous on both sides, scabrous on the narrowly winged keel; sterile lemmas subulate, 1.5– 2.5 mm, pilose, fertile lemma 3–4.5 mm, appressed-pilose throughout; 2n=14. Waste places, roadsides, and wet fields; widespread in Mex. and s. U.S., n. in our range to Va., Md., Ky., and Mo.

It is a temperate plant.

The seeds are eaten as a grain. The young shoots are cooked and eaten.