Scientific Name:
Holcus lanatus
Pronunciation:
HOLE-kus la-NA-tus
Common Name:
velvet grass
Family Name:
Poaceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial, Poales (grass-like), Weed (horticultural)
Key ID Features:
Clump forming habit; leaf blades 1-1.5cm wide, flat, and sharply pointed and with dense short hairs; auricles absent; ligule 2-3mm long, with flattened top, hairy on leaf blade side only; sheaths tomentose with reflexed hairs, loose, compressed with pink veins; panicles 3-12cm long, spikelets 3.5-6mm long, grayish green-purple; May-Sep.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Vase
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.1 - 0.3m
Origin:
Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
n/a
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Grass-like
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Pubescent, Tomentose
Colour in Summer:
Green, Silver / Grayish
Shapes:
Linear
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Sheathing
Margins:
Ciliate
Additional Info:
Leaves rolled in the bud
Inflorescence Type:
Spikelet, Panicle-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
0
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Green-yellow, Pink, Red
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
Additional Info:
Spikelets of 2 florets, aggrnged in a densely clustered panicle
Fruit Type:
Grain (caryopsis)
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
hairy; soft short awn
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes
Maintenance:
High
Pest Susceptibility:
Aphids, Fungal leaf spot, Root rot, Rust, Virus (Pest resistant)
