Annual Ryegrass

Annual Ryegrass, Italian Ryegrass

Lolium multiflorum Lam.

(formerly Lolium italicum)

Poaceae (Grass Family)

▲ ▼ mature plants

▲ ▼ inflorescences

▲ ligule

▲ auricles

▲ collar region

Annual Ryegrass, Italian Ryegrass

cool-season annual grass growing 6-36 inches tall (in flower)
leaves bright green, shiny, folded as they emerge from the sheath, with auricles at base of leaves
inflorescence a “zig-zag" spike of green florets, extending well above foliage
is allelopathic to other grasses, and can be invasive
including in low-cost turf mixes, soil-stabilization grass seed mixtures, but actually slows establishment of desired long-term cover species
common in southwest Missouri
close relative, Darnel:
- very similar to annual ryegrass, except glumes (outer part of spikelets on inflorescence) extend beyond most florets in a spikelet
- can be toxic to livestock