Flora-Fauna

Dactylis glomerata L.

(First published in Sp. Pl.: 71; 1753)

• Life-form & habit: Perennial grass, tufted, forming dense clumps; culms erect, 30–120 cm tall, glabrous, striate.
• Leaves: Flat, 5–30 cm × 3–8 mm, scabrous, grey-green; ligule membranous, truncate.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Panicle contracted, usually one-sided, with dense glomerules of spikelets. Spikelets laterally compressed, 4–6-flowered. Glumes unequal; lemmas awned or mucronate.
• Fruit: Caryopsis narrowly oblong, pale.
• Phenology: Flowers May–July in temperate regions; prolonged season under cultivation.
• Habitat & elevation: Meadows, pastures, woodland margins, cultivated and ruderal sites; from sea level to subalpine zones.
• Native range: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Altay, Assam, Austria, Azores, Baleares, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Buryatiya, Canary Islands, Central European Russia, China (North-Central, South-Central, Southeast), Corse, Cyprus, Czechia-Slovakia, Denmark, East Aegean Islands, East European Russia, East Himalaya, Egypt, Finland, France, Føroyar, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Inner Mongolia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Irkutsk, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Krasnoyarsk, Crete (Kriti), Crimea, Lebanon–Syria, Libya, Madeira, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, North Caucasus, North European Russia, Northwest European Russia, Norway, Northwestern Balkan Peninsula, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sardinia, Sicily, South European Russia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Taiwan, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuva, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, West Himalaya, West Siberia, Xinjiang (POWO).
• Introduced into: Widely naturalized across all continents, including North and South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania, and numerous oceanic islands (POWO).
• Doubtfully present: Saudi Arabia, Yemen (POWO).
• Recorded in error: Java (POWO).