ryegrass

Dictionary: rye·grass

or rye grass (rī'grăs') pronunciation

n.
See darnel.

[Alteration of raygrass : ray, darnel (from Middle English rai , perhaps alteration of Old French ivraie , from Latin ēbriāca , from feminine of ēbriācus, drunk (from the plant's effects if ingested) , from ēbrius; see inebriate) + GRASS.]

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Columbia Encyclopedia: rye grass

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rye grass, short-lived perennial, leafy, tufted plant belonging to the family Gramineae (grass family). Two species are grown in the United States-Italian rye grass (Lolium multiflorum), the leading hay grass of Europe, and English, or perennial, rye grass (L. perenne). In parts of the United States where winters are mild, both are sowed, often mixed with other grains, for pasturage. Italian rye grass is much used for lawns in warmer regions of the United States. Perennial rye grass was probably the first of all perennial grasses to be cultivated pure for forage. Poison rye grass, or darnel (L. temulentum), reputed to be poisonous, grows in grain fields and waste places; it is thought to be the tare of the Bible. Rye grass is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Liliatae, order Cyperales, family Gramineae.

Veterinary Dictionary: ryegrass

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Highly productive pasture grasses including Wimmera or annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum), Italian ryegrass (L. multiflorum) and perennial ryegrass (L. perenne).

r. staggers — ruminants and horses grazing pastures dominated by L. perenne (perennial ryegrass) may be affected with a severe incoordination which appears with forced exercise but disappears if the animals are left to their own devices. Caused by tremorgen lolitrems from the endophyte Neotyphodium (Acremonium) lolii which infests the grass.

WordNet: rye grass

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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: any of several annual or perennial Eurasian grasses
Synonym: ryegrass

Wikipedia: Ryegrass

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Ryegrass

Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne)

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Genus:	Lolium L.

Species

See text

This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008)

Ryegrass (Lolium) is a genus of nine species of tufted grasses, family Poaceae. Also called tares (even though there is no firm evidence that this is the same as the plant given that name in English language translations of the Bible - vetches are another candidate), these plants are native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa, but are widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere. Ryegrasses are naturally diploid, with 2n = 14, and are closely related to the fescues Festuca.

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

1 Species
2 Cultivation and uses
3 Synonyms
4 References

Species

The following are accepted as distinct species:

Lolium canariense Steud. - Canary Islands Ryegrass
Lolium edwardii H.Scholz, Stierst. & Gaisberg
Lolium multiflorum Lam. - Italian Ryegrass
Lolium perenne L. - Perennial Ryegrass
Lolium persicum - Persian Ryegrass or Persian Darnel
Lolium remotum Schrank
Lolium rigidum Gaudin - Stiff Darnel, Wimmera Ryegrass
Lolium temulentum L. - Darnel, Poison Darnel

Cultivation and uses

Ryegrasses contain some species which are important grasses for both 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 for both lawns and as a forage crop is perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne). Like many cool-season grasses, it is often infected by a clandestine, fungal endophyte which lives symbiotically within its leaves.

Some species, particularly L. temulentum, are weeds which can have a severe impact on the production of wheat and other crops. Ryegrass pollen is also one of the major causes of hay fever.

Synonyms

Lolium temulentum (Poison Darnel)

L. ambiguum = Lolium multiflorum
L. annuum = Lolium temulentum
L. arundinaceum = Festuca arundinacea
L. berteronianum = Lolium temulentum
L. brasilianum = Lolium perenne
L. canadense = Lolium perenne
L. crassiculme = Lolium rigidum
L. cuneatum = Lolium temulentum
L. dorei = Lolium persicum
L. giganteum = Festuca gigantea
L. gracile = Lolium temulentum
L. lepturoides = Lolium rigidum subsp. lepturoides
L. marschallii = Lolium perenne
L. parabolicae = Lolium rigidum
L. pratense = Festuca pratensis
L. remotum = Lolium temulentum subsp. remotum
L. romanum = Lolium multiflorum
L. scabrum = Lolium multiflorum
L. siculum = Lolium multiflorum
L. subulatum = Lolium rigidum subsp. lepturoides
L. teres = Lolium rigidum subsp. lepturoides
L. trabutii = Lolium rigidum

References

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Copyrights:

		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more
		Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more
		WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ryegrass". Read more

ryegrass

Contents

Species

Cultivation and uses

Synonyms

References