Lolium

"Ryegrass" redirects here. Not to be confused with Rye.

Lolium
Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
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.

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.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference POWO was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  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