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Lolium perenne - L.

Common Name Perennial Ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, Darnel, Lyme Grass, Terrell Grass, English Ryegrass, Strand Wh
Family Poaceae or Gramineae
USDA hardiness 5-7
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Meadows and weedy places[74].
Range Europe to E. Asia.
Edibility Rating    (1 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (1 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Moist Soil Full sun
Lolium perenne Perennial Ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, Darnel, Lyme Grass, Terrell Grass, English Ryegrass, Strand Wh


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Rasbak
Lolium perenne Perennial Ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, Darnel, Lyme Grass, Terrell Grass, English Ryegrass, Strand Wh
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Rasbak

 

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Summary

Main Bloom Time: Early fall, Late fall, Mid fall. Form: Prostrate.


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Lolium perenne is an evergreen Perennial growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid, very alkaline and saline soils.
It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil and can tolerate drought. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Plant Habitats

 Meadow;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Seed
Edible Uses:

Seed - cooked. Used as a cereal[177]. The seed has a nutritional value similar to oats (Avena sativa) and contain gluten[269]. An emergency food, it is only used when all else fails[177]. The seed is rather small and fiddly to use[K]. Yields of 1 tonne per hectare have been achieved, though around 500kg is a more common yield[269].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Astringent  Cancer  Malaria

The plant has occasionally been used in the treatment of cancer, diarrhoea, haemorrhages and malaria[269].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

The Bookshop: Edible Plant Books

Our Latest books on Perennial Plants For Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens in paperback or digital formats.

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Tropical Plants

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

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Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Temperate Plants

Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

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PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital media.
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PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital formats. Browse the shop for more information.

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Other Uses

Biomass

The plant has the potential to be used as a source of biomass. Yields of up to 25 tonnes per hectare have been reported from Europe. In the absence of definitive yield information an average yield of 17.5 tonnes of dry matter per hectare per year and an energy content of 17.5 GJ per metric tonne are assumed[269].

Special Uses

Food Forest

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Landscape Uses:Erosion control, Ground cover. Adapted to mild, humid temperate climates, this species grows best on rather heavy, rich, moist soils, but also does well on well-manured lighter soils with sufficient moisture[269]. It dislikes shade and requires a well-drained soil[200]. It prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, though it can tolerate a range from 4.5 - 8.2[269]. Plants are moderately drought resistant, they tolerate atmspheric pollution and salt in the soil, and can also succeed when planted on minespoil[269]. They prefer an annual precipitation in the range of 21 - 176cm[269]. Many cultivars have been developed by selection of individual plants, clones and families for specific purposes, such as for lawns, pastures and hay[269]. A fast growing plant, it combines particularly well with white clover (Trifolium repens)[269]. Special Features: Not North American native, Naturalizing.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Seed - sow in situ in the spring. It is also possible to sow the seed in situ in the autumn in most parts of Britain. This will give larger plants and heavier yields.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

TEMPERATE ASIA: Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Cyprus, Egypt (Sinai), Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia (Ciscaucasia), Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russian Federation (Dagestan) TROPICAL ASIA: India (northwest), Pakistan EUROPE: Denmark, United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Russian Federation-European part (European part (southwest)), Belarus, Moldova, Russian Federation (Kalmykija, Respublika, Astrakhan, Saratov, Volgogradskaja oblast), Ukraine (incl. Krym), Albania, Bulgaria, Greece (incl. Crete), Croatia, Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily), Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, France (incl. Corsica), Portugal AFRICA: Spain (Canarias), Portugal (Madeira Islands), Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Lolium multiflorumItalian RyegrassBiennial0.3 4-8  LMHNM003
Lolium temulentumDarnelAnnual1.0 4-8  LMHNM110

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

L.

Botanical References

74200

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

Birgitta m Mundy   Sat Feb 19 08:37:50 2005

Basic info and yet interesting in that the information seems to come from experiencing the facts given. I was looking for a photo. A picture tells a thousand words. A little more detail would be helpful. Your links are very interesting. Thanks

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