Lolium perenne
Encyclopedia
Lolium perenne, common name Perennial Ryegrass, is a grass
from the family Poaceae
. It is native to Europe
, Asia
and northern Africa
, but is widely cultivated and naturalised around the world.
The plant is a low-growing, tufted, hairless grass, and a bunch-type growth habit; tillering. The leaves are dark green, smooth and glossy on the lower surface, with untoothed parallel sides and prominent parallel veins on the upper surface. The leaves are folded lengthwise in bud (unlike the rolled leaves of Italian ryegrass, Lolium multiflorum
) with a strong central keel, giving a flattened appearance. The ligule
is very short and truncate, often difficult to see, and small white auricles grip the stem at the base of the leaf blade. Leaf sheaths at the base are usually tinged pink and hairless. Stems grow up to 90cm. It has auricles.
The inflorescence
is unbranched, with spikelets on alternating sides edgeways-on to the stem. Each spikelet has only a single glume, on the side away from the stem, and multiple fertile Florets without awns, unlike Italian ryegrass. The Anthers are pale yellow, and the plant flowers from May to November. Perennial ryegrass has a fibrous root system, with thick main roots and thinner lateral branches. Roots are usually arbuscular mycorrhiza
l.
(Trifolium).
In Britain, it is also used as an indicator of non-species rich grassland, as it out-competes the more rare plants and grasses, especially in fertile soils. Agri-environment scheme such as the Countryside Stewardship Scheme
, Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme
, and Environmental Stewardship
give funding to species rich grasslands that does not have an abundance of ryegrass.
Selected seed mixes are used extensively for sports pitches, especially winter sports in temperate climates, because of its wear resistance and its ability to regenerate.
It is commonly used in the southwest United States to overseed winter lawns. Bermudagrass is a typical summertime grass in states like Arizona, since it is able to withstand the high temperatures. However, Bermudagrass goes dormant during the cooler winter months. Rather than have brown lawns, many homeowners, public areas, and golf courses overseed these lawns with Perennial Ryegrass in early- to mid- September.
Turf-type Perennial Ryegrass can be grown as a permanent home lawn in the US, however, its adaptation range is limited to areas with mild winters and summers. Full sun to light shade, good yearly rainfall, and proper fertilization are the key to a successful perennial ryegrass lawn.
Perennial Ryegrass forms a very dense, dark green, fine bladed turf with the proper maintenance, and it can be successfully grown as a permanent lawn as far south as the lower transition zone - from North Carolina west to northern California.
Yearly overseeding might be needed to replace damaged grass caused by excessive heat during the summer. Maximum daytime temperature should not regularly reach 90°F (32°C). Night time temperatures should hover around 68°F (20°C) or less.
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
from the family Poaceae
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
. It is native to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and northern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, but is widely cultivated and naturalised around the world.
Description
The plant is a low-growing, tufted, hairless grass, and a bunch-type growth habit; tillering. The leaves are dark green, smooth and glossy on the lower surface, with untoothed parallel sides and prominent parallel veins on the upper surface. The leaves are folded lengthwise in bud (unlike the rolled leaves of Italian ryegrass, Lolium multiflorum
Lolium multiflorum
Lolium multiflorum is a ryegrass native to temperate Europe, although the precise location of its origin is unknown....
) with a strong central keel, giving a flattened appearance. The ligule
Ligule
A ligule — is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf and leafstalk of many grasses and sedges or a strap-shaped corolla, such as that of a ray floret in plants in the daisy family....
is very short and truncate, often difficult to see, and small white auricles grip the stem at the base of the leaf blade. Leaf sheaths at the base are usually tinged pink and hairless. Stems grow up to 90cm. It has auricles.
The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is unbranched, with spikelets on alternating sides edgeways-on to the stem. Each spikelet has only a single glume, on the side away from the stem, and multiple fertile Florets without awns, unlike Italian ryegrass. The Anthers are pale yellow, and the plant flowers from May to November. Perennial ryegrass has a fibrous root system, with thick main roots and thinner lateral branches. Roots are usually arbuscular mycorrhiza
Arbuscular mycorrhiza
An arbuscular mycorrhiza is a type of mycorrhiza in which the fungus penetrates the cortical cells of the roots of a vascular plant....
l.
Cultivation and uses
Perennial ryegrass is an important pasture and forage plant, and is used in many pasture seed mixes. In fertile soil it produces a high grass yield, and in Britain and Ireland is frequently sown for short-term ley grassland, often with red or white cloverClover
Clover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the leguminous pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes...
(Trifolium).
In Britain, it is also used as an indicator of non-species rich grassland, as it out-competes the more rare plants and grasses, especially in fertile soils. Agri-environment scheme such as the Countryside Stewardship Scheme
Countryside Stewardship Scheme
The Countryside Stewardship Scheme is an agri-environment scheme run by the United Kingdom Government set up in 1991.Originally introduced as a five-year pilot project by the Countryside Commission, the scheme aimed to improve the environmental value of farmland throughout England...
, Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme
Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme
The Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme was an agri-environment scheme run by the UK Government within the 22 designated Environmentally Sensitive Areas.The scheme was superseded in 2005 by the Environmental Stewardship schemes....
, and Environmental Stewardship
Environmental Stewardship
Environmental Stewardship is an agri-environment scheme run by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England. It was formally launched on 18 March 2005, although the first agreements did not start until 1 August 2005....
give funding to species rich grasslands that does not have an abundance of ryegrass.
Selected seed mixes are used extensively for sports pitches, especially winter sports in temperate climates, because of its wear resistance and its ability to regenerate.
It is commonly used in the southwest United States to overseed winter lawns. Bermudagrass is a typical summertime grass in states like Arizona, since it is able to withstand the high temperatures. However, Bermudagrass goes dormant during the cooler winter months. Rather than have brown lawns, many homeowners, public areas, and golf courses overseed these lawns with Perennial Ryegrass in early- to mid- September.
Turf-type Perennial Ryegrass can be grown as a permanent home lawn in the US, however, its adaptation range is limited to areas with mild winters and summers. Full sun to light shade, good yearly rainfall, and proper fertilization are the key to a successful perennial ryegrass lawn.
Perennial Ryegrass forms a very dense, dark green, fine bladed turf with the proper maintenance, and it can be successfully grown as a permanent lawn as far south as the lower transition zone - from North Carolina west to northern California.
Yearly overseeding might be needed to replace damaged grass caused by excessive heat during the summer. Maximum daytime temperature should not regularly reach 90°F (32°C). Night time temperatures should hover around 68°F (20°C) or less.