Poaceae
Lolium

Lolium pratense (Huds.) Darbysh.

First published in Novon 3: 242 (1993)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Azores, Europe to Siberia and W. Himalaya. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Morphology General Habit
Caespitose; clumped moderately. Cataphylls inconspicuous. Rhizomes short; fleshy; not obviously scaly. Basal innovations extravaginal, or intravaginal. Culms of moderate stature; straight; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete. Culm-nodes without exudate; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves basal and cauline; 3-5 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; unthickened at base; open for most of their length; without keel; striately veined. Ligule an eciliate membrane; membranous; white; erose; truncate. Leaf-blade base symmetrical. Leaf-blades straight, or flexuous; linear in section; firm, or flaccid; light green, or mid-green. Leaf-blade midrib evident. Leaf-blade venation distinct; with subepidermal sclerenchyma strands similar in size; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins above and below; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle; with 1 peduncles per sheath. Peduncle straight, or flexuous; terete; eglandular; glabrous. Panicle contracted; lanceolate; continuous; loose; straight; 15-20 cm long; 3-5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending; moderately divided; bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches straight, or arcuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 5-6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 9-11 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous. Floret callus glabrous.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 5-6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 9-11 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous. Floret callus glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; subequal in width; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.7-3 mm long; 0.8-0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; mid-green; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 3.7-4 mm long; 0.6 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous, or chartaceous; mid-green; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma elliptic; symmetrical; 6-6.5 mm long; chartaceous, or herbaceous; mid-green.
Distribution
Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: Macaronesia. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet far east, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, and China. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: north-central. North America: Subarctic. South America: southern South America.
Reference
Poeae. Stancik 2005.
[GB]

Common Names

unknown
meadow fescue, trifolium ii

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • EBC Common Names

    • Common Names from Kew's Economic Botany Collection https://www.kew.org/science/collections-and-resources/collections/economic-botany-collection

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0