German ryegrass

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German ryegrass
German ryegrass (Lolium perenne) (left) Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) (right)

German ryegrass ( Lolium perenne ) (left)
Italian ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum ) (right)

Systematics
Commelinids
Order : Sweet grass (Poales)
Family : Sweet grasses (Poaceae)
Subfamily : Pooideae
Genre : Lolch ( Lolium )
Type : German ryegrass
Scientific name
Lolium perenne
L.

The German ryegrass , also called perennial lole ( Lolium perenne ), is a perennial plant species from the sweet grass family (Poaceae). It is a productive and largely insensitive grass both in pasture and meadow use, which is used in almost every type of grassland. It is commercially available in numerous varieties.

In accordance with its widespread use, a number of other names are in use for this grass in German-speaking countries: Perennial ryegrass, English ryegrass, English ryegrass, permanent lole or spelled husk .

Several spikelets (spi, spicula) sit on the ear axis. At the base of each spikelet there is a glume (Glu, Gluma), only the terminal spikelet has two of them (not visible in the picture). Several flowers sit on the spikelet axis, each of which is wrapped in a lemma (Lem, Lemma) and palea (Pal, Palea). The tepals (Lod, Lodiculae) are tiny.

description

The German ryegrass grows in clumps with numerous sterile leaf shoots. New daughter plants sprout from the rootstocks via short runners (lawn formation). The dark green, shiny leaves are two to four millimeters wide and up to 20 centimeters long. They are rough on the upper side due to numerous longitudinal grooves, smooth on the underside and with a distinct keel in the middle.

The smooth stalks of the German ryegrass usually rise in a curve and reach a height of up to 70 centimeters. In the area of ​​the ear , they are meandered in an S-shape. In each bay (alternately with a clear distance to each other) there is a spikelet , with the narrow side towards the stalk (unlike the couch grass, Elymus repens , in which the spikelets are transverse). The whole ear therefore looks flat and slender. The ear part of the stalk is up to 30 centimeters long. The spikelets consist of two to ten flowers. They are up to twenty millimeters long. All husks are without awns .

German ryegrass ( Lolium perenne )

The flowering period lasts from May to autumn.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 14.

ecology

The German ryegrass is a perennial, evergreen, lawn-forming hemicryptophyte . It is windy of the "long-dust thread type", weakly feminine, self-sterile and a frequent hay fever pathogen. The flowering period lasts from May to autumn.

The fruits are caryopses with (unfurled) cover and palea as a unit of expansion (husk fruits that act like biological capsules). In addition, there is human spread (also as cultural refugees), random spread through grass-eaters, as well as water adhesion and the spread of treads. Fruit ripening is from August to October. The caryopses are light germs .

Vegetative reproduction occurs through short runners , which connect the clumpy growing plants with each other like a network.

Similar species

The also common Italian ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum ) is usually annual. The lemmas of its flowers usually have an awn up to 15 millimeters long. While the leaves of Lolium perenne simply sprout folded and have a keel on the underside, the leaves of Lolium multiflorum sprout into a spiral and therefore have no keel. Lolium multiflorum has significantly wider leaves (up to ten millimeters wide).

The two species of flax-lolch ( Lolium remotum ) and tumbler-lolch ( Lolium temulentum ) are very rare.

Occurrence and location

The German ryegrass is originally found in Macaronesia , in Europe to Siberia and the Himalayas as well as in North Africa. But in many other countries it is a neophyte.

The German ryegrass prefers nitrogen-rich, even superficially compacted soils of medium humidity in climatically favorable locations. There it is one of the most common grasses in meadows and pastures. But it also occurs wildly on grassy surfaces and along roadsides. This grass is a bit sensitive to frost, which can easily lead to damage in colder or higher altitudes, e.g. B. to gaps in the lawn. It originally comes from Europe, but is now widespread around the world in settlement areas. The German ryegrass is the characteristic species of the ryegrass willow (Lolio-Cynosuretum), but also occurs in societies of the Trittliniengesellschaft with Polygonum aviculare .

use

Due to its preference for soils rich in nitrogen and phosphate, the German ryegrass responds very well to fertilization. It tolerates grazing and frequent pruning very well. Its original and still most important significance lies in its use as pasture grass and in the production of hay and silage . It is mostly grown in a mixture with other grasses and also with clover.

The German ryegrass is very kick-resistant and regenerates very quickly. It is therefore well suited for hard-wearing lawns in sports facilities, parks and ornamental gardens. Because of this, it is a typical ingredient in many lawn mixes.

At present, over one hundred cultivars of Lolium perenne are known for their various uses .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . 8th edition. Stuttgart, Verlag Eugen Ulmer, 2001. ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 . Page 231.
  2. ↑ Rafaël Govaerts (ed.): Lolium perenne. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved November 11, 2016.

Web links

Commons : Lolium perenne  - album with pictures, videos and audio files