I have been searching diligently for examples of the ornamental reed canarygrass, Phalaris arundinacea, here in the Czech Republic. Finally.....success! They were growing in places I didn't expect to encounter them.
Here, for instance, is the variegated type--either 'Variegata' or the variegated genotype of 'Feesey's Form'--found growing at the Vila Lanna in Prague where we stayed during the Fulbright Orientation. It was perfect placement, as several Fulbrighters asked what reed canarygrass looked like and I could easily show them!
And then, when we stopped by an apple stand on the way back from Prague headed home to Ceske Budejovice....what should we discover as we bent over to look at the fall-blooming Colchicum autumnale (which contains the chemical, colchicum) but another variegated reed canary grass, this time most likely 'Strawberries and Cream'!
We'll be able to identify exactly which cultivars each of these genotypes are when we compare the ISSR profiles with those of these cultivars already run at the University of Minnesota. Stay tuned!
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