Lolium multiflorum - Italian Ryegrass

Italian Ryegrass is an annual to biennial grassm with leaves green to dark green, hairless, flat, upper surface evenly ribbed, lower surface smooth and shiny, up to 40 cm long, 5-12 mm wide. Young leaves are rolled in the bud. Auricles are small and narrow. Ligule is white, translucent, shorter than wide. Flowers are borne in a spike up to 30 cm long. The spikelets edge-on to the axis. Rachis is recessed opposite each spikelet, which more or less fits into the recess. Spikelets consist of 10-20 florets, laterally flattened, green, 1.5-2.5 cm long. Only the ternimal spikelet has two more or less equal glumes. Otherwise, only one glume subtending each spikelet, lanceshaped, about 1 cm long, less than half as long as the spikelet, outer surface fine-nerved, ribbed like the upper surface of the leaf blade. Lemma lanceshaped, 5-8 mm long, five nerved. Awn nearly at branch-ends, fine, straight, about 10 mm long. Palea similar to lemma in shape and size, two nerves with tiny hairs along them. Anthers three; yellow or purple. Italian Ryegrass is native to Macaronesia, Sahara, Medit. to Central Asia and Himalaya, up to altitudes of 2600 m. Flowering: June-August.