Phalaris arundinacea, reed canary grass

Reed Canary Grass Phalaris arundinacea) was grown in liquid culture and exposed to RDX that was metabolized to the potentially toxic 4-nitro-2,4-diazabutanal (Just and Schnoor 2004). This metabolite is also produced from RDX by strains of Rhodococcus sp. and from the homologous octahydro-l,3,5,7-tetranitro-l,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) by Phanerochaete chrysosporium. 

In the wetlands of Idaho, the formation of an Fe(III) precipitate (plaque) on the surface of aquatic plant roots (Typha latifolia, cat tail and Phalaris arundinacea, reed canary grass) may provide a means of attenuation and external exclusion of metals and trace elements (Hansel et al, 2002). Iron oxides were predominantly ferrihydrite with lesser amounts of goethite and minor levels of siderite and lepidocrocite. Both spatial and temporal correlations between As and Fe on the root surfaces were observed and arsenic existed as arsenate-iron hydroxide complexes (82%). 

Strontium-90 behaves much hke calcium in the biological environment. In birds, °Sr is expected to occur in bone and in the calcium-rich eggshell. In one case, a positive relation was demonstrated between reactor releases of °Sr to the Columbia River and °Sr concentrations in reed canary grass Phalaris arundinacea) and eggshells of the Canada goose (Branta canadensis moffitti) (Rickard and Price 1990). 

Peroxidase activities were also shown to occur during the bean rust infection process (Mendgen, 1975). In reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L ), peroxidase was identified with the pyrogallol test (Vance and Sherwood, 1976). 

An extremely potent smokable form of DMT can be extracted from the reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea). (Presumably the same holds true for any DMT-containing botanical, dozens of which have now been identified and continue to be discovered.I made this discovery more than a month after the manuscript of this book was completed and sent to the publisher. Therefore I offer this added chapter as something totally new. To the best of my knowledge this information has never been published in a book before, though I make no claim that I am the first person to discover it. 

A recent literature review [13] listed 17 wetland plants capable of RDX removal from water, or removal accompanied by RDX incorporation into plant biomass. The emergent wetland plant Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass) and the submerged wetland plant Elodea canadensis were particularly suitable for RDX bioremediation using constructed wetlands in terms of RDX removal efficiency and relative persistence [39], Studies with the model aquatic plant M. aquaticum demonstrated that RDX removal from water was a first-order rate process, similar to TNT removal [14,43], However, the first-order rate constants for RDX removal were 3.0 x 10-5 L g 1 FW h 1 versus 2.2 x 10 3 L g 1 FW h 1 for TNT removal at the same conditions [14],... 

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