Lolium perenne L.
perennial ryegrass (English ryegrass)
Poaceae (Grass family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Bryan Kelly-McArthur     (Photo ID #84248)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Lolium perenne
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Tufted, short-lived perennial grass from rhizomes with some vegetative shoots; stems erect, to 100 cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths smooth; blades flat, folded in young shoots, usually smooth, (1) 2-4 (6) mm wide; ear-shaped lobes at leaf-bases sickle-shaped (rarely lacking); ligules 0.5-2 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a spike with 5 to 37, 2-ranked, solitary spikelets, 3-30 cm long; spikelets (2-) 5- to 9- (10-) flowered, unstalked, 5-22 mm long, 1-7 mm wide, all but the terminal ones with 1 glume; glumes 3.5-15 mm long, (1/3) 1/2-3/4 (to slightly exceeding) the length of the spikelets; lemmas (3.5) 5-9 mm long, 0.8-2 mm wide, unawned, or if awned, the awns to about 8 mm long, attached about 0.2-0.7 mm below the tips; anthers 2-4.2 mm long.
Notes:
A commercially important species as a popular turf grass and stablizer. On a world-wide basis it is perhaps the single most important forage grass. Since Lolium perenne and L. multiflorum are interfertile and intergrade, they are sometimes considered conspecific. Hybrids between the two species are called Lolium x hybridum Hausskn.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Mid Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Spring to Summer
Source:  The USDA

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Lolium perenne

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
843 30 1280
Slope Gradient (%)
20 0 80

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

296 80 330
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
3 2 6
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
D
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
49
Modal BEC Zone Class
IDF

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

CDF(1), ICH(1), IDF(4), PP(1)

Habitat and Range

Mesic to moist pastures, fields, meadows, roadsides and disturbed areas in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; rare in SW and SC BC; introduced from Eurasia.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Lolium multiflorum var. ramosum Guss. ex Arcang.
Lolium perenne
Lolium perenne var. cristatum Pers. ex B.D. Jacks.