Poaceae
Lolium

Lolium giganteum (L.) Darbysh.

First published in Novon 3: 241 (1993)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Europe to S. Central China, Bioko. 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
Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 45-150 cm long; 2-5 -noded. Culm-nodes purple. Leaf-sheaths without keel; smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1-2.5 mm long. Leaf-blades drooping; 30-60 cm long; 6-18 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; lanceolate, or ovate; effuse; nodding; 10-50 cm long. Primary panicle branches 2 -nate; bearing 3-8 fertile spikelets on each lower branch (on shorter branch). Panicle branches flexuous; angular; scabrous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1.5-6 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 3-10 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; laterally compressed; 8-20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 3-10 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; laterally compressed; 8-20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 4-7 mm long; 0.8-0.9 length of upper glume; chartaceous; much thinner on margins; without keels; 1-3 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 5-8 mm long; 0.8-0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; with membranous margins; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma elliptic; 6-9 mm long; chartaceous; of similar consistency on margins; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn straight, or flexuous; 10-18 mm long overall; limb scaberulous. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 2.5-3 mm long. Ovary glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; glabrous. Embryo 0.2 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 0.9 length of caryopsis.
Distribution
Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, and China. Asia-tropical: India.
Reference
Poeae. CEH.
[GB]

Common Names

english
giant fescue

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • 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 2025. 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 Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Kew's Living Collection Database

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images