Lolium

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Lolium
Starr 001026-9002 Lolium perenne.jpg
Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Supertribe: Poodae
Tribe: Poeae
Subtribe: Loliinae
Genus: Lolium
L.
Synonyms [1]
  • Arthrochortus Lowe
  • Bucetum Parn.
  • Craepalia Schrank
  • Crypturus Link
  • Drymonaetes Ehrh.
  • Gnomonia Lunell
  • Loliola Dubois
  • Micropyropsis Romero Zarco & Cabezudo
  • Schedonorus P.Beauv.

Lolium is a genus of tufted grasses in the bluegrass subfamily (Pooideae). [2] [3] It is often called ryegrass, but this term is sometimes used to refer to grasses in other genera.

Contents

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, the Americas, and various oceanic islands. Ryegrasses are naturally diploid, with 2n=14, and are closely related to the fescues (Festuca). [4] [5] [6] [7]

Ryegrass should not be confused with rye, which is a grain crop.

Species

As of February 2024 the species of Lolium listed by Plants of the World Online include: [1]

Formerly included

Several former Lolium species now regarded as part of other genera: Castellia , Enteropogon , × Festulolium , Hainardia , Lepturus , Melica , and Vulpia . [8]

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. [10] [11]

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. [12] Ryegrass pollen is also one of the major causes of hay fever. Tennis courts, including those at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, the venue for Wimbledon, are planted with ryegrass. [13] [14] Glyphosate-resistant Lolium has been reported from Mississippi in 2006. [15]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Vicia sativa</i> Species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyperaceae</span> Family of flowering plants known as sedges

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<i>Trifolium repens</i> Flowering plant, bean family Fabaceae

Trifolium repens, the white clover, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the bean family Fabaceae. It is native to Europe, including the British Isles, and central Asia and is one of the most widely cultivated types of clover. It has been widely introduced worldwide as a forage crop, and is now also common in most grassy areas of North America, Australia and New Zealand. The species includes varieties often classed as small, intermediate and large, according to height, which reflects petiole length. The term 'white clover' is applied to the species in general, 'Dutch clover' is often applied to intermediate varieties, and 'ladino clover' is applied to large varieties.

<i>Festuca</i> Genus in the grass family Poaceae

Festuca (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae. They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of 10–200 cm (4–79 in) and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every continent except Antarctica. The genus is closely related to ryegrass (Lolium), and recent evidence from phylogenetic studies using DNA sequencing of plant mitochondrial DNA shows that the genus lacks monophyly. As a result, plant taxonomists have moved several species, including the forage grasses tall fescue and meadow fescue, from the genus Festuca into the genus Lolium, or alternatively into the segregate genus Schedonorus.

<i>Festuca pratensis</i> Species of grass

Festuca pratensis, the meadow fescue, is a perennial species of grass, which is often used as an ornamental grass in gardens, and is also an important forage crop.

Rhynchosporium secalis is an ascomycete fungus that is the causal agent of barley and rye scald.

<i>Epichloë</i> Genus of fungi

Epichloë is a genus of ascomycete fungi forming an endophytic symbiosis with grasses. Grass choke disease is a symptom in grasses induced by some Epichloë species, which form spore-bearing mats (stromata) on tillers and suppress the development of their host plant's inflorescence. For most of their life cycle however, Epichloë grow in the intercellular space of stems, leaves, inflorescences, and seeds of the grass plant without incurring symptoms of disease. In fact, they provide several benefits to their host, including the production of different herbivore-deterring alkaloids, increased stress resistance, and growth promotion.

<i>Festuca arundinacea</i> Species of flowering plant

Festuca arundinacea (syn., Schedonorus arundinaceus and Lolium arundinaceum) is a species of grass commonly known as tall fescue. It is a cool-season perennial C3 species of bunchgrass native to Europe. It is an important forage grass throughout Europe, and many cultivars have been used in agriculture. It is also an ornamental grass in gardens, and a phytoremediation plant.

<i>Lolium multiflorum</i> Species of flowering plant

Lolium multiflorum is a ryegrass native to temperate Europe, though its precise native range is unknown.

<i>Catapodium</i> Genus of grasses

Catapodium is a genus of Eurasian and North African plants in the grass family.

<i>Sesleria</i> Genus of grasses

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Dollar spot is a fungal disease of turfgrass caused by the four species in the genus Clarireedia, in the family Rutstroemiaceae. The pathogen blights leaf tissues but does not affect turf grass roots or crowns. There is evidence that a fungal mycotoxin produced by the pathogen may cause root damage, including necrosis of the apical meristem in creeping bentgrass. However, the importance of this toxin is unknown and its effects are not considered a direct symptom of dollar spot. The disease is a common concern on golf courses on intensely managed putting greens, fairways and bowling greens. It is also common on less rigorously maintained lawns and recreational fields. Disease symptoms commonly result in poor turf quality and appearance. The disease occurs from late spring through late fall, but is most active under conditions of high humidity and warm daytime temperatures 59–86 °F (15–30 °C) and cool nights in the spring, early summer and fall. The disease infects by producing a mycelium, which can be spread mechanically from one area to another.

<i>Festuca gigantea</i> Species of grass

Festuca gigantea, or giant fescue, is a plant species in the grass family, Poaceae. Because this and other members of Festuca subgenus Schedonorus have more in common morphologically with members of the genus Lolium than with Festuca and often produce fertile hybrids with other Lolium species, Festuca gigantea has been recently published as Lolium giganteum(L.) Darbysh. (1993) and then as Schedonorus giganteus(L.) Holub (1998). Sources vary as to which placement is more acceptable.

<i>× Festulolium</i> Nothogenus of Poaceae plants

× Festulolium is a nothogenus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae. Naturally occurring hybrids, they are the result of crosses between species of two distinct grass genera, Festuca and Lolium, and the hybrids show phenotypic similarities to both parents. This type of intergeneric hybridization is quite rare, and is indicated by a multiplication symbol before the name. The name Festulolium is an example of a portmanteau word, a combination of the two parents' names.

References

  1. 1 2 "Lolium L." Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  2. Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 1: 83 in Latin
  3. "Lolium". Tropicos . Missouri Botanical Garden.
  4. Europaea: Lolium
  5. Liu, Liang; Phillips, Sylvia M. "Lolium". Flora of China. Vol. 22 via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  6. Cope, Thomas A. "Lolium". Flora of Pakistan via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  7. Altervista Flora Italiana, genere Lolium
  8. "Lolium". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  9. Lamson-Scribner, Bill (November 12, 2020). "Horticulture Hotline: To rye or not to rye—it's that lawn season again". Moultrie News. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  10. Schardl CL, Leuchtmann A, Spiering MJ (2004). "Symbioses of grasses with seedborne fungal endophytes". Annu Rev Plant Biol. 55: 315–340. doi:10.1146/annurev.arplant.55.031903.141735. PMID   15377223.
  11. Cheplick GP (2011). "Endosymbiosis and population differentiation in wild and cultivated Lolium perenne (Poaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 98 (5): 829–38. doi: 10.3732/ajb.1000226 . PMID   21613060.
  12. When Does Annual Ryegrass Die
  13. Bletchly, Rachael (24 June 2007). "The Wonders of Wimbledon Fortnight". People. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2009..
  14. "Grass Courts" (PDF). The Championships. Wimbledon. 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  15. "Nandula VK, Poston DH, Eubank TW, Koger CH and Reddy KN, Differential response to glyphosate in Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) populations from Mississippi. Weed Tech 21: 477–482 (2006).doi 10.1614/WT-06-168.1". doi:10.1614/WT-06-168.1. S2CID   86123045.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)