Lolium multiflorum

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Lolium multiflorum
Lolium multiflorum detail.jpeg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Genus: Lolium
Species:
L. multiflorum
Binomial name
Lolium multiflorum
Synonyms [1]
List
    • Lolium ambiguumDesp.
    • Lolium aristatum(Willd.) Lag.
    • Lolium compositumThuill.
    • Lolium elongatumRouville
    • Lolium gaudiniiParl.
    • Lolium italicumA.Braun
    • Lolium lesdainiiSennen
    • Lolium multiflorum subsp. gaudinii(Asch. & Graebn.) Schinz & R.Keller
    • Lolium multiflorum subsp. italicum(Husn.) Schinz & R.Keller
    • Lolium multiflorum var. laeviculmeMaire
    • Lolium multiflorum var. latifoliumMaire
    • Lolium multiflorum subsp. ramosum(Guss.) Arcang.
    • Lolium multiflorum f. submuticum(Mutel) Anghel & Beldie
    • Lolium osiridisFig. & Delile ex Rouville
    • Lolium perenne subsp. italicumBonnier & Layens
    • Lolium perenne subsp. italicumHusn.
    • Lolium perenne subsp. multiflorum(Lam.) Husn.
    • Lolium scabrumJ.Presl
    • Lolium siculumParl.
    • Lolium temulentumBertero ex Steud.
    • Lolium temulentum var. multiflorum(Lam.) Kuntze
    • Lolium westerwoldicumBreakw.

Lolium multiflorum (Italian rye-grass, [2] annual ryegrass) is a ryegrass native to temperate Europe, though its precise native range is unknown. [3]

Contents

It is a herbaceous annual, biennial, or perennial grass, depending on the environmental conditions. Italian ryegrass is grown for silage, and as a cover crop. [4] [5] It is also grown as an ornamental grass. It readily naturalizes in temperate climates, and can become a noxious weed in arable areas and an invasive species in native habitats. [3] Resistance to multiple herbicides, including those from the ESPS and ACcase groups, has been identified in wild populations of L. multiflorum. [6]

It is a host plant to wheat yellow leaf virus and ryegrass mosaic virus in its native Europe. [7] [8]

It is sometimes considered a subspecies of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne). It differs from L. perenne in its spikelet, which has a long bristle at the top, and its stem, which is round rather than folded.

It can be mistaken for couch (Elymus repens), which has spikelets along the broad side of the stem rather than the edge. [9]

Other common names in English include Australian ryegrass, short rotation ryegrass, and Westerwolds ryegrass. It is also one of several species called darnel.

Uses

Lolium multiflorum is widely used to provide large forage yields in short term leys where persistence of the crop is not a priority. In the United States, Lolium multiflorum is sometimes used as a winter cover crop to prevent erosion, build soil structure and suppress weeds. As a palatable forage crop, it can be grazed by livestock and provide food in years when alfalfa suffers from winter kill. [10]

References

  1. "Lolium multiflorum Lam". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  2. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. 1 2 Quattrocchi, Umberto (2006). CRC World Dictionary of Grasses: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology - 3 Volume Set. CRC. p. 2408. ISBN   978-0-8493-1303-5.
  4. Undersander, Dennis; Casler, Michael (July 2014). "Ryegrass types for pasture and hay". Agronomy Advice. University of Wisconsin Extension. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  5. Moseley, G.; E. L. Jones; V. Ramanathan (September 1988). "The nutritional evaluation of Italian ryegrass cultivars fed as silage to sheep and cattle". Grass and Forage Science. 43 (3): 291–295. Bibcode:1988GForS..43..291M. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2494.1988.tb02154.x.
  6. Mahmood, Khalid; Mathiassen, Solvejg K.; Kristensen, Michael; Kudsk, Per (2016-08-05). "Multiple Herbicide Resistance in Lolium multiflorum and Identification of Conserved Regulatory Elements of Herbicide Resistance Genes". Frontiers in Plant Science. 7: 1160. Bibcode:2016FrPS....7.1160M. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01160 . ISSN   1664-462X. PMC   4974277 . PMID   27547209.
  7. Lapierre, Hervé; Signoret, Pierre A., eds. (2004). Viruses and Virus diseases of Poaceace (Gramineae). France: Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique. p. 605. ISBN   978-2-7380-1088-9.
  8. Mulligan, T. E. (1960). "The Transmission by Mites, Host-Range and Properties of Ryegrass Mosaic Virus". Annals of Applied Biology. 48 (3): 575–579. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7348.1960.tb03559.x.
  9. Reader's Digest Nature Lovers Library Field Guide To Wild Flowers Of Britain, 1998, page 416
  10. "Annual Ryegrass". Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education. USDA. Retrieved 9 December 2015.