*Lolium perenne

Family Poaceae

Perennial Ryegrass

Loose to densely tufted annual or short lived grass to 80 cm high. Longevity less than 2 years.

Flowers: October – December. Wind pollinated.

Fruit: Dry one-seeded indehiscent fruit.

Seed: No specialised dispersal mechanism.

Gallery images: seed, seedling, rootstock, resprout

Ecology

• Native of the Mediterranean region. Introduced as pasture species, reported as occasionally naturalised along roads near Sydney by 1804.
• Weed of grasslands, woodlands and along roadsides.
• Weed in grasslands at the Australian Botanic Garden.
• Eaten by rabbits, now rare in woodland at the Australian Botanic Garden.
• C3 cool season metabolism.

Asterisk * indicates exotic species naturalised at the Australian Botanic Garden.