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Lolium perenne - perennial ryegrass

Scientific Family
Poaceae
Synonyms
Lolium multiflorum, Lolium perenne, Lolium perenne var. multiflorum, Lolium strictum and more see SEINET
Other common names
Italian ryegrass
English Ryegrass
winter rye grass
Plant type
Grasses
Riparian
No

Grass Description

Origin
Introduced
Season
Cool
Warm

Disturbed waste places and seasonally wet areas. Introduced via cultivation.

Plant Community
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
0
High elevation
6500

General Description

Tufted, 4 to 12 inches tall, erect or spreading at the base. Seedheads have alternate multiple flowered spikelets having little or no overlap along the seedhead step. Short-lived.

Annual or short lived perennial, erect or trailing stems; flat glossy blades. Stems reddish at the bases. Spikelets of 5 to 20 florets, awnless or short awns, flattened, alternate going up the stem, sparse, fit into a groove on the stem.

Grass type
Perennial bunchgrass
Rhizomes
No
Stolons
No
Clump Diameter 2 ft or more
No
Bushy - highly branched
No
Height with Seedheads
Less than 12 inches
Seedhead Structure
Unbranched
Seedhead droops
No
First bloom month
May
Last bloom month
September

Flower Characteristics

Flowers per Spikelet
Multi-flowered
Spikelets One-Sided
No
Awns
Less than 1/4 inch
Three Awns
No
Awns bent
No
Flower and Seedhead Notes

Seedhead is a symmetrical spike. Spikelets are 5 to 20 flowered. Spikelets lie flat against the axis or sometimes spread from the seedhead stem and are awnless or may bear a very short awn.

Vegetative Characteristics

Blade is hairy
No
Blade margins white
No
Blade cross-section
Flat
Folded

Blades are dark green, glossy, 3 to 10 inches long and less than 1/3 inch wide, smooth or slightly rough on top surface.

Sheath is hairy
No
Tufts of hair top of sheath or collar
No
Ligule
Membranous
Auricles
Yes

Perennial ryegrass is a palatable and nutritious forage for all classes of livestock and wildlife.