Lolium perenne L.
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Detail
- Family
- Poaceae
- Botanical Name
- Lolium perenne L.
- Common Name
- Rye Grass
- Synonym(s)
- Lolium perenne L., sensu stricto.; Lolium multiflorum Lam.
- Flora of Virginia Name/Status
- Lolium perenne L. var. aristatum Willd. + L. perenne L. var. perenne
- Comments
- Map includes records for both var. perenne and var. aristatum. Herbarium work will be required to fully map these varieties (partial maps are now provided). Both FNA and Flora of the Southeastern U.S. (Weakley et al. 2023) map these taxa at species level (see Synonym[s]), but we favor a more conservative treatment at the varietal level. In our area, the two taxa are wholly sympatric, occur in the same habitats (often together), and exhibit wide and overlapping variation in number of florets per spikelet, while var. aristatum exhibits extensive variation in awn length. FNA also notes that the two taxa intergrade and are interfertile.
- Habitat
- The species occurs in fields, roadsides, pastures, clearings, and other disturbed habitats; it is widely planted for cover and erosion control but generally persistent only in thinly vegetated areas. Lolium perenne s.l. is frequent throughout, but the relative status of the two varieties has not been fully determined.
- Native Status
- Introduced
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