Poa trivialis
Encyclopedia
Poa trivialis is a perennial plant, and is regarded in the USA as an ornamental plant
and is of the Poa
family.
. Its preferred habitat is moist, sheltered places. Its herbage is plentiful and fairly nutritious - not as much as Poa annua
or Poa pratensis. It is useful for grazing on heavy and damp soil. It also copes well with the polluted atmosphere
of towns and cities. It is in flower from June onwards throughout the summer.
Though often considered a weed of golf course
s, some use it as a turits lighter green color. It is an invasive species in the Great Lakes
region and was first sighted in 1843.
It has short stolon
s. The leaves are broad and tapering, and the sheathes are very rough. It has shiny leaves like Lolium perenne
and Crested Dog's-tail.
They have pointed ligule
s 4-10mm long. Compare to Annual Meadow grass Poa annua
which is silvery and pointed, and Common Meadow grass Poa pratensis which is short and blunt.
The roughish, slender stem grows 30 to 60 cm high. Compare with smooth meadow grass Poa annua
which has a smooth stem. The panicle
is green and 15 cm long. The spikelets are egg-shaped.
It has a loose, whorled green panicle
, much branched, 15 cm long.
It is also called Orcheston
Grass, after a village on Salisbury Plain
.
Maniola jurtina, Gatekeeper Butterfly
butterflies; Common Sun beetle Amara aenea
- adults feed on the developing seeds, Eupelix cuspidata of the leafhopper
family, and Myrmus miriformis a grassbug - feeds on young blades and developing seeds.
It is parasitised by Grass Mildew Blumeria graminis
, which causes a white, powdery mildew on it.
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
and is of the Poa
Poa
Poa is a genus of about 500 species of grasses, native to the temperate regions of both hemispheres. Common names include meadow-grass , bluegrass , tussock , and speargrass. "Poa" is Greek for fodder...
family.
Description
It is very common in meadows and pastures throughout BritainUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Its preferred habitat is moist, sheltered places. Its herbage is plentiful and fairly nutritious - not as much as Poa annua
Poa annua
Poa annua, or annual meadow grass , is a widespread low-growing turfgrass in temperate climates. Though P. annua is commonly considered a solely annual plant due to its name, perennial bio-types do exist. 'Poa' is Greek for fodder. It is one of the sweetest grasses for green fodder, but less ...
or Poa pratensis. It is useful for grazing on heavy and damp soil. It also copes well with the polluted atmosphere
Atmosphere
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
of towns and cities. It is in flower from June onwards throughout the summer.
Though often considered a weed of golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
s, some use it as a turits lighter green color. It is an invasive species in the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
region and was first sighted in 1843.
It has short stolon
Stolon
In biology, stolons are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external skeletons.-In botany:...
s. The leaves are broad and tapering, and the sheathes are very rough. It has shiny leaves like Lolium perenne
Lolium perenne
Lolium perenne, common name Perennial Ryegrass, is a grass from the family Poaceae. It is native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa, but is widely cultivated and naturalised around the world.-Description:...
and Crested Dog's-tail.
They have pointed ligule
Ligule
A ligule — is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf and leafstalk of many grasses and sedges or a strap-shaped corolla, such as that of a ray floret in plants in the daisy family....
s 4-10mm long. Compare to Annual Meadow grass Poa annua
Poa annua
Poa annua, or annual meadow grass , is a widespread low-growing turfgrass in temperate climates. Though P. annua is commonly considered a solely annual plant due to its name, perennial bio-types do exist. 'Poa' is Greek for fodder. It is one of the sweetest grasses for green fodder, but less ...
which is silvery and pointed, and Common Meadow grass Poa pratensis which is short and blunt.
The roughish, slender stem grows 30 to 60 cm high. Compare with smooth meadow grass Poa annua
Poa annua
Poa annua, or annual meadow grass , is a widespread low-growing turfgrass in temperate climates. Though P. annua is commonly considered a solely annual plant due to its name, perennial bio-types do exist. 'Poa' is Greek for fodder. It is one of the sweetest grasses for green fodder, but less ...
which has a smooth stem. The panicle
Panicle
A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches; in other words, a branched cluster of flowers in which the branches are racemes....
is green and 15 cm long. The spikelets are egg-shaped.
It has a loose, whorled green panicle
Panicle
A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches; in other words, a branched cluster of flowers in which the branches are racemes....
, much branched, 15 cm long.
It is also called Orcheston
Orcheston
Orcheston is a civil parish and village in Wiltshire, England, lying on Salisbury Plain less than a mile north-west of neighbouring Shrewton. The present day village combines the two former parishes of Orcheston St Mary and Orcheston St George....
Grass, after a village on Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
.
Wildlife Value
The food plant of the caterpillars of small heath Coenonympha pamphilus, Meadow BrownMeadow Brown
The Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina, is a butterfly found in European meadows, where its larvae feed on grasses, such as Sheep's Fescue.Similar species are Gatekeeper and Small Heath ....
Maniola jurtina, Gatekeeper Butterfly
Gatekeeper Butterfly
The Gatekeeper sometimes called the Hedge Brown is a common butterfly in the United Kingdom. It is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae. A similar species is the Meadow Brown; the two species can be difficult to distinguish with closed wings since underwing markings are...
butterflies; Common Sun beetle Amara aenea
Amara aenea
Amara aenea is a ground beetle common in almost the whole Europe and Northern Asia. Its range covers also parts of Northern Africa. It is known as the common sun beetle....
- adults feed on the developing seeds, Eupelix cuspidata of the leafhopper
Leafhopper
Leafhopper is a common name applied to any species from the family Cicadellidae. Leafhoppers, colloquially known as hoppers, are minute plant-feeding insects in the superfamily Membracoidea in the order Hemiptera...
family, and Myrmus miriformis a grassbug - feeds on young blades and developing seeds.
It is parasitised by Grass Mildew Blumeria graminis
Blumeria graminis
Blumeria graminis is a fungus that causes powdery mildew on grasses, including cereals . It is the only species in the genus Blumeria. It has also been called Erysiphe graminis and Oidium monilioides or Oidium tritici.-Systematics:Previously B...
, which causes a white, powdery mildew on it.