Perennial Ryegrass, Lolium perenne
Family: Poaceae; Grass Family
Vegetative Characteristics:
Seedling: leaves rolled or rolled in bud, leaves glabrous to scabrous, membranous ligule, conspicuous auricles
Stems: slender hollow culms, erect or sometimes decumbent at base, 0.3-1.2 m tall, basal portion commonly reddish, growing in clumps from short stolons
Leaves: blade linear, glabrous, sometimes upper surface scabrous, rolled to folded in bud, mature leaves flat slightly involute; sheaths rounded to slightly keeled, glabrous, open nearly to base, auricle usually present and conspicuous; ligule membranous, short, rounded to truncate
Reproductive Characteristics:
Inflorescences: compressed spike; rachis margins rough; spikelets 2-ranked with 2-10 florets; glumes linear-lanceolate, soft, one-half to two-thirds as long as spikelet, lemma lanceolate, awnless or short-awned; palea short-pointed, short trichomes on keel.
Fruit: caryopsis, oblong or lanceolate, somewhat flattened, slightly narrowing at base.
Special Identifying Features:
⇒ cool-season perennial growing in clumps from short stolons; ligule membranous; conspicuous auricles; inflorescence a spike with 2-ranked spikelets; spikelet with 2-10 florets.
