Timothy-grass

Timothy- grass ( Phleum pratense)

The timothy grass ( Phleum pratense ) is a species of the genus Phleum within the Gramineae family. It is also known as Timothy, is commercially also often found as a bird or cat grass.

Description

The timothy grass is a perennial, loose clumps forming grass. It seldom forms suckers. The plant height of the hollow stalks is 30 to 100 centimeters. The stalk has three to five knots and tastes sweet. The leaf blade is bright blue green and is three to eight millimeters wide and 6 to 40 inches long. The ligule ( ligule ) to the upper leaves is 5 millimeters long. The timothy grass has an up to 30 centimeters long Schei Dieting bent upright or weak. The individual spikelets are three to four millimeters long and are whitish - blue-green, rarely crowded purple.

The flowering period extends from June to September.

Chromosome number: 2n = 42

Location preferences

As the site meadows, pastures, roadsides, lawns and parking are preferred, more rarely, forests and as a pioneer plant in Weed Societies ( path sides ). The timothy grass loves nutrient-rich, moderately moist, medium to heavy soils.

Dissemination

The species is widespread in the temperate northern hemisphere.

In Germany the species is common and increases in the Black Forest up to 1490 meters and in the Alps up to 1650 meters. In Austria it is common in all states. It is often cultivated.

Ecology

The timothy grass is a Hemikryptophyt, a Horst grass and a long-day plant with a critical day length of 12 hours.

The flowers are wind-pollinated from " Langstaubfädigen type". The spikelet is flowered and vorweiblich. The flowering period extends from June to September.

The fruits are caryopses which are propagated together with the glumes as wind spreader. Since the glumes are ciliate hispid on the back, which also facilitates the spread of fruits as Velcro Misty, Misty water and animal shakers. Fruit ripening is from August to October. The caryopses are light to germinate.

This occurs insensitive Timothy is Ordnungskennart the fat meadows and white clover pastures ( Arrhenatheretalia )

It is in this way an important forage cropping grass in the upper, it provides high-quality, very hardy forage grass, but the lignified early. As long as it is young, it is often eaten by cattle. The hay is heavy and rich in nutrients. It is best suited for sowing with red clover and Sweden Clover.

It is insensitive to cold, wet, heavy soils and is used for construction of drained peatlands. Against drought and overshadowing, however, it is sensitive.

Others

The name " Timothy " comes from Timothy Hanson, an American Farmer, the first in 1720 popularized the grass in the United States as a forage crop. Later ( 1765 ) it was brought from America to England. From there, the Timothy came under that name even after Germany. At that time it was felt that the timothy grass was an American plant, in fact it dates back but probably originally from Eurasia and, after Hanson had discovered it as fodder plants, only " re-imported ".

In addition to rye and ryegrass Englischer the pollen of timothy grass are mainly responsible for hay fever. Since November 2006, a drug for specific immunotherapy is available that contains allergens exclusively from grass pollen of timothy grass. It was the first drug for allergy vaccination in tablet form at all, but only effective at a specific grass allergy.

The timothy grass is sometimes called the mother grain, also ergot fungus, an ascomycete from the kind of ergot fungi attack.