''Lolium'' is a genus of tufted grasses in the

bluegrass subfamily The Pooideae are the largest subfamily of the grass family Poaceae, with about 4,000 species in 15 tribes and roughly 200 genera. They include some major cereals such as wheat, barley, oat, rye and many lawn and pasture grasses. They are often re ...

(Pooideae). It is often called ryegrass, but this term is sometimes used to refer to grasses in other genera. They are characterized by bunch-like growth habits. ''Lolium'' is native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa, as well as being cultivated and naturalized in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, and various oceanic islands. Ryegrasses are naturally

diploid Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectively ...

, with 2n=14, and are closely related to the

fescue ''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...

s (''Festuca''). Ryegrass should not be confused with

rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...

, which is a grain crop.

Species

Species of ''Lolium'' include: * '' Lolium arundinaceum'' (Schreb.) Darbysh. - Eurasia + North Africa from Portugal + Canary Islands to Himalayas + Xinjiang; naturalized in East Asia, Australia, North + South America, various islands * '' Lolium canariense'' Steud. - Canary Islands ryegrass - Canary Islands, Cape Verde * '' Lolium giganteum '' Lam. - Eurasia from Ireland to China; Bioko * '' Lolium hybridum'' Hausskn. - Assam, Bhutan - Intermediate ryegrass * '' Lolium mazzettianum'' (E.B.Alexeev) Darbysh. - Sichuan, Yunnan * '' Lolium multiflorum'' Lam. - Eurasia + North Africa from Portugal + Canary Islands to Himalayas; naturalized in East Asia, Australia, North + South America, various islands * '' Lolium perenne'' L. - perennial ryegrass - Eurasia + North Africa from Azores to Kashmir; naturalized in East Asia, Australia, North + South America, various islands * '' Lolium persicum'' Boiss. & Hohen. - Persian ryegrass or Persian darnel - from Socotra to China; naturalized in scattered locations in the United States + Canada * '' Lolium pratense'' (Huds.) Darbysh. - Eurasia + North Africa from Iceland + Azores to Kashmir + Yakutia; naturalized in East Asia, Australia, North + South America, various islands * '' Lolium remotum'' Schrank - Indian Subcontinent; sparingly naturalized in scattered locations in Europe + northern Asia * '' Lolium rigidum'' Gaudin - stiff darnel, Wimmera ryegrass, annual ryegrass - Eurasia + North Africa from Portugal + Canary Islands to China; sparingly naturalized in scattered locations in Australia + Americas * '' Lolium saxatile H.Scholz & S.Scholz - Canary Islands * ''

Lolium temulentum ''Lolium temulentum'', typically known as darnel, poison darnel, darnel ryegrass or cockle, is an annual plant of the genus '' Lolium'' within the family Poaceae. The plant stem can grow up to one meter tall, with inflorescence in the ears and p ...

'' L. - Darnel, poison darnel - Eurasia + North Africa from Portugal + Canary Islands to China; sparingly naturalized in scattered locations in Australia + Americas ; Formerly included Several former ''Lolium'' species now regarded as part of other genera: '' Castellia'', '' Enteropogon'', ''

× Festulolium × ''Festulolium'' is a nothogenus of flowering plants in the grass family (biology), family Poaceae. Naturally occurring hybrid plant, hybrids, they are the result of crosses between species of two distinct grass genus, genera, ''Festuca'' (the ...

'', '' Hainardia'', '' Lepturus'', '' Melica'', and ''

Vulpia ''Vulpia'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, native to many countries around the world and naturalized in many of the nations to which it is not native. It is most common in temperate regions. ''Vulpia'' is a part of a group o ...

''. File:Perennial Ryegrass.jpg, Perennial ryegrass, used as winter lawn. File:Illustration Leymus arenarius and Lolium temulentum0.jpg, Poison darnel (''Lolium temulentum'')

Cultivation and uses

''Lolium'' contains some species which are important grasses for lawns, and as pasture and for grazing and hay for livestock, being a highly nutritious stock feed. Ryegrasses are also used in soil erosion control programs. It is the principal grazing grass in New Zealand where some 10 million kilograms of certified seed are produced every year. There is a large range of cultivars. The primary species found worldwide and used both for lawns and as a forage crop is perennial ryegrass (''Lolium perenne''). Like many cool-season grasses of the Poaceae, it harbors a symbiotic fungal endophyte, either '' Epichloë'' or its close relative '' Neotyphodium'', both of which are members of the fungal family Clavicipitaceae. Some species, particularly ''L. temulentum'', are weeds which can have a severe impact on the production of wheat and other crops. Annual ryegrass (''L. rigidum'') is one of the most serious and costly weeds of cropping systems in southern Australia, and herbicide resistance is a frequent problem. Ryegrass

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...

is also one of the major causes of

hay fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, i ...

. Tennis courts, including those at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, the venue for

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

, are planted with ryegrass. Glyphosate-resistant ''Lolium'' has been reported from Mississippi in 2006.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q158509 Pooideae Poaceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus