canary grass

noun

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.

Origin of canary grass

First recorded in 1660–70

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for canary grass

Historical Examples of canary grass

The case is in fact similar to that of the oat and canary-grass.
Darwin and Modern Science
A.C. Seward and Others

British Dictionary definitions for canary grass

canary grass

noun

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
reed canary grass a related plant, Phalaris arundinacea, used as fodder throughout the N hemisphere

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012