Phleum pratense L.
timothy
Loose or dense tufts to 1 m. Leaf-sheath subcoriaceous, rounded, open, striate, glabrous, green to dark brown at base. Ligule 1-2.5-(4) mm, membranous, truncate or slightly rounded. Leaf-blade 9-17.5-(25) cm × 3-4.5 mm, flat, narrowed to finely pointed tip, striate, minutely scabrid throughout or only towards tip; margins minutely scabrid. Culm (30)-60-85 cm, erect or ascending from geniculate base, usually stout, internodes smooth, or finely scabrid below panicle; basal nodes sometimes swollen and tuberous. Panicle (4)-12-23 cm × 6-9 mm, dense, spike-like, cylindric, green, greyish green or purplish; rachis very stout, with scattered fine hairs concealed beneath spikelets, pedicels very short. Spikelets 2.5-3.5 mm, tightly packed. Glumes (3)-3.5-5 mm, oblong, truncate, 3-nerved, membranous, covered with short fine hairs, margin of lower glume softly hairy; keel stout, with large stiff hairs, and produced to a short scabrid awn (0.8)-1-1.5 mm. Lemma 1.5-2.5-(3) mm, 5-7-nerved, membranous, broadly oblong, obtuse, minutely hairy. Palea (1.2)-1.5-2-(2.5) mm. Lodicules 0.4-0.6 mm. Anthers 1.3-2.2 mm. Caryopsis slightly > 1 mm.
N.: scattered; S.: scattered throughout, more common in Canterbury; St.; Ch., C. Pastures, waste land, roadsides and track margins.
Naturalised from Eurasia.
Plants with proliferous inflorescences sometimes occur.
