Scientific Name:
Lolium multiflorum
Pronunciation:
LOW-lee-um mul-tih-FLOR-um
Common Name:
annual ryegrass, Italian ryegrass
Family Name:
Poaceae
Plant Type:
Annual (true), Poales (grass-like)
Key ID Features:
Bunching-tufted habit, fast growing, leaf vernation rolled, blade underside glossy, 3-7mm wide, margins smooth, tapering to a sharp and long pointed tip; auricles clasping, claw-like; ligule 0.1-2mm, entire; sheath usually reddish at base. Field ID terms: clasping auricles, rolled, pointy.
Habit:
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like
Texture:
Fine
Mature Height:
0.4 - 0.7m
Mature Spread:
0.1 - 0.3m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Golf green, Lawn - sports field
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivar shown: L 'Axcella 2'.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Grass-like
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Parallel venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Shapes:
Linear
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Sheathing
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
Folded in the bud
Inflorescence Type:
Spikelet, Panicle-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
0
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Green, Dark-red
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun, Jul, Aug
Additional Info:
Three to six florets per spikelet; spikelets arrannged in open panicle with short penduncle.
Fruit Type:
Grain (caryopsis)
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Aug, Sep
Additional Info:
6-9mm long; lemma square at apex; awn long; rachilla flat and wide: 500 grains per gram
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes
Propagation:
Seed
