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DESCRIPTION:
Italian ryegrass, also called annual ryegrass, is an upright annual grass that behaves
like a biennial or short-lived perennial. It grows vigorously in winter and
early spring.
The hairless cotyledon (seed leaf) is shiny. Flat blades have a short, membranous
ligule. Auricles are variable in size, clasping or blunt. The mature plant grows
1 to 4 feet (30 - 120 cm) tall. Flower clusters are usually spikelike but occasionally branch off the main axis. Small
stalkless flower subunits alternate with one another along the axis. Long bristles on the individual flowers and at least
10 flowers per flower unit are characteristics that differentiate Italian from perennial ryegrass.
Grass ID illustration.
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