''Alopecurus pratensis'', known as the meadow foxtail or the field meadow foxtail, is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

grass belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to Europe and Asia. This common plant is found on grasslands, especially on neutral soils. It is found on moist, fertile soils, but avoids waterlogged, light or dry soils. The species forms dense swards leading to low botanical diversity. This species is widely cultivated for pasture and hay, and has become naturalised in many areas outside its native range, including Australia and North America.

Description

It flowers from April until June – one of the earliest grasses to do so. Any survey work carried out in mid-summer may miss the grass as a result of this. It can grow to a height of about . The stem is erect and hard at the shaft, the sheathes being smooth and cylindrical. The

leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

are about wide and hairless. Meadow foxtail has a cylindrical inflorescence with glumes about wide and

spikelets A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the flowers of grasses, sedges and some other Monocots. Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the spikelet that ...

about long. The ligule is long, with a slightly tattered top.BSBI Description
retrieved 1 December 2010. Alopecurus pratensis ligula

Similarity to other grassland species

''Alopecurus pratensis'' has two common relatives, marsh foxtail (''Alopecurus geniculatus'') and black grass (''A. myosuroides''). It is often confused with timothy (''Phleum pratense''). Timothy flowers later, from June until August. Its

spikelet A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the flowers of grasses, sedges and some other Monocots. Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the spikelet that ...

s have twin hornlike projections arranged in cylindrical

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

s, while meadow foxtail has a single soft awn.

Ecology

The

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Symph ...

s of some lepidopterans use it as a foodplant, e.g. the

Essex skipper __NOTOC__ ''Thymelicus lineola'', known in Europe as the Essex skipper and in North America as the European skipper, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. With a wingspan of 2.5 to 2.9 cm, it is very similar in appearance to ...

(''Thymelicus lineola''). Additionally, male mosquitoes can often be found on this flower drinking the nectar out of it. It is a known host to fungi. These include:Helgi Hallgrímsson & Guðríður Gyða Eyjólfsdóttir (2004)
''Íslenskt sveppatal I - smásveppir'' [Checklist of Icelandic Fungi I - Microfungi
Fjölrit Náttúrufræðistofnunar. Náttúrufræðistofnun Íslands [Icelandic Institute of Natural History]. ISSN 1027-832X * ''Cladosporium phlei'' * ''Claviceps purpurea'' * ''Erysiphe graminis'' * ''Mastigosporium album'' * ''Mastigosporium rubricosum'' * ''Periconia hispidula'' * '' Phaeoseptoria poae'' * ''

Rhynchosporium orthosporum ''Rhynchosporium'' is a genus of fungi that causes leaf scald disease on several graminaceous hosts. It includes five currently accepted species: '' R. secalis'' from rye and triticale, '' R. orthosporum'' from ''Dactylis glomerata'', '' ...

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfileGrass Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q157346 pratensis Bunchgrasses of Asia Bunchgrasses of Europe Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus