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- Dichotomous Key
- Poaceae
- Poaceae Group 5
- Lolium
- Lolium perenne
Lolium perenne — perennial rye grass
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Facts
Perennial rye grass is a Eurasian species that is commonly included in lawn seed mixtures and used for forage and erosion control in North America.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf blade width
- 1–6 mm
- Inflorescence branches
- there are no branch points between the base of the inflorescence axis and the flowers, or they are not obvious
- Spikelet length
- 5–22 mm
- Glume relative length
-
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- one or both glumes are as long or longer than all of the florets
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- One or more florets
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 0–8 mm
- Leaf sheath hair type
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Anther length
- 2–4.2 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 2–4.2 mm
- Anther number
- 3
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- Bristles below spikelets
- no
- Floret lower bract texture
-
- the lemma is hard and firm
- the lemma is thin and flexible
- Floret number
- 2–10
- Floret types within spikelet
- all the florets within a spikelet are similar
- Glume awn length
- 0 mm
- Glume keel
- the glume keels are smooth and hairless
- Glume relative length
-
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- one or both glumes are as long or longer than all of the florets
- Glume shape
- the glume is flat or curved in cross-section
- Glume veins
-
- 3
- 5
- 7 or more
- Glumes per spikelet
-
- 1
- 2
- Inflorescence arrangement
- the spikelets are uniform
- Inflorescence axis hairs
- the inflorescence axis is rough and feels like sand-paper
- Inflorescence axis orientation
-
- the inflorescence axis is arched or curved outward
- the inflorescence axis is straight
- Inflorescence branch length
- 0 cm
- Inflorescence branch roughness
- NA
- Inflorescence branches
- there are no branch points between the base of the inflorescence axis and the flowers, or they are not obvious
- Inflorescence branches coming off the lowest stem node
- 0
- Inflorescence crowding
- NA
- Inflorescence length
- 30–300 mm
- Inflorescence type (general)
- the inflorescence is a spike, or is spike-like, lacking obvious branches
- Inflorescence type (specific)
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Inforescence position
- the spikelets are mainly carried at the end of the stem
- Lemma awn base
-
- the awn is attached at the upper half of the lemma
- the awn is attached right at the tip of the lemma
- Lemma awn coiled
- the lemma awn is straight or twisted, but not coiled one half turn
- Lemma awn length
- 0–8 mm
- Lemma awn number
-
- the lemma has no awn
- the lemma has one awn on it
- Lemma awn orientation
- the awn of the lemma is straight
- Lemma base hair length
- 0 mm
- Lemma base hairs
- the lemma is hairless or feels just a tiny bit rough at the base
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is flat or rounded if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma hairs
- the lemma is hairless between the veins
- Lemma surface
- the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
- Lemma tip
- the lemma tip is a simple point, with or without an awn (long narrow extension ending in a point)
- Lemma vein number
-
- 5
- 7 or more
- Lower glume length
- 3.5–15 mm
- One or more florets
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- Palea relative length
-
- palea is longer than lemma
- palea is one half to fully as long as lemma
- Reproductive system
- all the flowers on the plant have both carpels and stamens (synoecious)
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet disintegration
- the spikelet breaks off above the glumes, so that after the florets fall off, the glumes remain
- Spikelet length
- 5–22 mm
- Spikelet number per node
- 1
- Spikelet pedicel
- the spikelets do not have pedicels
- Spikelet pedicel length
- 0 mm
- Spikelet position
- NA
- Spikelet width
- 1–7 mm
- Spikelets per panicle branch
- 0
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
- Upper glume length
- 3.5–15 mm
- Upper glume relative length
- the upper glume is more than one half as long as the lowest lemma
- Upper glume shape
- the upper glume is widest at or below the middle
-
Fruits or seeds
- Groove on seed
- the caryopsis has a groove running most of its length
- Seed length
- 3–5.5 mm
-
Growth form
- Horizontal rooting stem
- no
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
-
Leaves
- Basal leaves
- the plant has few or no leaves coming from the base of the flowering stem
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves have auricles
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is more or less flat in cross-section, or slightly folded or rolled inwards
- Leaf blade hairs
- the leaf blade is hairless, but it may have tiny prickles that give it a sand-papery feel
- Leaf blade length
- 10–30 cm
- Leaf blade texture
- the leaf blade is rough and sandpapery
- Leaf blade width
- 1–6 mm
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane
- Leaf margin glands
- there are no glands along the edges of the leaf blade
- Leaf sheath closed around stem
- the margins of the leaf sheath are overlapping and not fused together except in the basal half (or less)
- Leaf sheath color and persistence
- the leaf sheathes are reddish-brown and disintegrate or become shredded in older leaves
- Leaf sheath hair type
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Leaf sheath hairs
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Hairs at nodes
- the stem nodes are hairless or they have very sparse hairs
- Plant height
- 30–100 cm
- Stem hairs
- the stem is nearly to completely hairless
- Stem spacing
- the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts
Wetland status
Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but occasionally in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACU)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- not applicable (S-rank: SNA)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
2. Lolium perenne L. E
perennial rye grass. Lolium multiflorum Lam. var. ramosum Guss. ex Arcang.; L. perenne L. var. cristatum Pers. ex B.D. Jackson • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Fields, roadsides, lawns, seeded areas.
Native to North America?
No
Sometimes confused with
- Lolium multiflorum:
- rachis of the inflorescence rough on the surface opposite the spikelet, spikelets with mostly 11–22 florets, and apex of the glume of upper spikelets not reaching the tip of the lowest lemma on the same side (vs. L. perenne, with the rachis of the inflorescence smooth on the surface opposite the spikelet, rough only on the angles, spikelets with mostly 5–10 florets, apex of the glume of upper spikelets more or less extending to the tip of the lowest lemma on the same side).
- Lolium temulentum:
- glume mostly 7–28 mm long, the body 0.75–1.5 times as tall as the column of florets, plants annual, with 2- to 10-flowered (vs. L. multiflorum, with the glume 3.5–15 mm long, the body 0.25–0.75 times as tall as the column of florets, and plants annual or perennial, with mostly 5- to 22-flowered spikelets).
Synonyms
- Lolium multiflorum var. ramosum Guss. ex Arcang. Lolium perenne var. cristatum Pers. ex B.D. Jackson