| Home | > | List of families | > | Poaceae | > | Lolium | > | multiflorum |
| Synonyms: |
Lolium italicum A. Braun Lolium scabrum J. S. Presl ex C. B. Presl |
| Common names: | Italian ryegrass (English) |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | |
| Description: |
A caespitose annual or biennial. Culms 30-80(100) cm. tall, 2-5-noded, sometimes solitary, simple or branched below, erect or geniculately ascending, smooth or scaberulous beneath the inflorescence. Leaf-sheaths prominently striate, dorsally rounded, tight at first, later somewhat loose, smooth or more rarely scaberulous, glabrous. Ligule 1-2 mm. long, membranous. Leaf-laminae 6-25 x 0·4-1 cm., linear, tapering to a fine soft point, with narrow auricles at the base, involute in young shoots, smooth and glossy on the lower and often scaberulous on the upper surface. Spikes 10-30 cm. long, erect or sometimes nodding, rather compressed, often tinged with purple; rhachis usually scabrous. Spikelets 7·5-25 mm. long, 5-15-flowered, elliptic-oblong to obovate-oblong in lateral view, glabrous. Superior glume much shorter than the spikelet, 4-7-nerved, narrowly oblong or lanceolate-oblong, obtuse to acute. Lemmas 5-8 mm. long, 5-nerved, awned, imbricate, oblong to lanceolate-oblong, with the apex obtuse and 2-dentate; awn up to 10 mm. long, straight, slender. Paleas scaberulous along the keels. Anthers 3-4·5 mm. long. Caryopsis 3-3·5 mm. long. |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | multiflorum: many-flowered |
| Habitat: | Growing in lawns, on waste places, in arable land and along roads in higher rainfall areas |
| Altitude range: (metres) | |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | Central and Southern Europe, north-western Africa and temperate regions of Asia. Introduced into almost all temperate areas of the rest of the world |
| Zimbabwe distribution: | C,E |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 37. Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 68. Launert, E. (1971). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(1) Pages 43 - 44. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 106. |
| Home | > | List of families | > | Poaceae | > | Lolium | > | multiflorum |