MANUAL OF THE GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES 



269 



47. LOLIUM L. Ryegrass 



Spikelets several-flowered, solitary, placed edgewise to the con- 

 tinuous rachis, one edge fitting to the alternate concavities, the 

 rachilla disarticulating above the glumes and between the florets; 

 first glume wanting (except 

 on the terminal spikelet and 

 rarely in 1 or 2 spikelets in 

 a spike), the second outward, 

 strongly 3- to 5-nerved, 

 equaling or exceeding the 

 second floret; lemmas 

 rounded on the back, 5- to 

 7-nerved, obtuse, acute, or 

 awned. Annuals or peren- 

 nials, with flat blades and 

 slender usually flat spikes. 

 Type species, Loliura perenne. 

 Lolium, an old Latin name 

 for darnel. 



Lolium perenne, perennial 

 or English ryegrass, was the 

 first meadow grass to be cul- 

 tivated in Europe as a dis- 

 tinct segregated species, the 

 meadows and pastures for- 

 merly being native species. 

 This and L. multiflorum, 

 Italian ryegrass, are probably 

 the most important of the 

 European forage grasses. 

 Both species are used in the United States to a limited extent for 

 meadow, pasture, and lawn. They are of importance in the south 

 for winter forage. In the Eastern States the ryegrasses are often 

 sown in mixtures for parks or public grounds, 

 where a vigorous early growth is required. 

 The young plants can be distinguished from 

 bluegrass by the glossy dark -green foliage. 

 L. temulentum, darnel, is occasionally found as 

 a weed in grainfields and waste places. It is 

 in bad repute, because of the presence in the 

 grain of a narcotic poison, said to be due to 

 a fungus. Darnel is supposed to be the plant 

 referred to as the tares sown by the enemy in the parable of Scripture. 



Glume shorter than the spikelet; perennials. 



Lemmas nearly or quite awnless 1. L. perenne. 



Lemmas, at least the upper, awned 2. L. multiflorum. 



Glume as long as or longer than the spikelet; annuals. 



Spike flat; spikelets much wider than the rachis 3. L. temulentum. 



Spike subcylindric; spikelets scarcely wider than the rachis. 



4. L. SUBULATUM 



1. Lolium perenne L. Perennial ryegrass. (Fig. 534, B.) 

 Short-lived perennial; culms erect or decumbent at base, 30 to 60 cm 

 tall; foliage glossy, the blades 2 to 4 mm wide; spike often subfalcate, 

 mostly 15 to 25 cm long; spikelets mostly 6- to 10-flowered; lemmas 



Figure 530.— Hordeum adscen- 

 dens. X 1. (Thornber 536, 

 Ariz.) 



Figure 531.— Hordeum 

 murinum. X 1- (Mills 

 paugh 4629, Calif.) 



Figure 532.— Distribution of 

 Hordeum murinum. 



