Grasses: Chalk Grassland & Meadows
What are they?
This page aims to make the identification of grasses a little easier by bringing together the commoner species that are likely to be found in a particular habitat. This should help you to learn the more likely species that you will come across, though it should always be remembered that occasional individuals of other species may turn up in unexpected places from time to time.
Where are they found?
Grasses make a significant contribution to many plant communities and they form the major part of plant communities in open country, where meadows can be a major part of the landscape. The species on this page are predominantly found in unimproved grasslands such as grazing meadows along river valleys, churchyards, village commons and greens and along grassy banks. These habitats tens to be on alkaline or neutral soils and include chalk grassland where the soils is shallow and the chalk is close to the surface, such as on chalk downland in the west of the region and on ancient earthworks.
Identification
Identifying grasses successfully requires at least a basic knowledge of the plant parts and thus it's useful to know the names of these parts (it's much easier mentioning lemmas and glumes if one doesn't have to describe where they are every time!) To assist in this, you can click here to reference a page that gives details of these features. A good rule of thumb when working through the identification of any plant is to work from bottom to top with the whole plant and from outside to the middle with the flower parts (i.e. root, stem, leaf, flowers... sepal, petal, stamen, stigma) and this rule is generally followed here, though of course grass flowers have glumes, lemma, palea, stamens, stigma.
One important point to remember with grasses is that the flower spike can look very different according to how far along the process from flowering to setting seed that it is. Many species begin with a tight, rod-like cluster which opens out when in full flower and then closes back up again after pollination. Thus, it is important to look carefully at the parts of the florets (individual flowers) regardless of the shape of the overall flower spike, just to be sure. To get around this variability, botany books often write descriptions of grasses when they are said to be 'at anthesis'. This simply means at the point that the anthers open to release the pollen and this ensures that we are always looking at the flowers at the same point in their development. Grasses can still be identified outside of this point, but you need to understand that the overall spike might look different (the smaller flower parts will generally not change much, however). To simplify this a little, I have used the terms 'early flower spike/spikelets/florets' for spikes where the flowers have not yet reached anthesis; 'flowering spike' for plants at or around anthesis; 'late flower spike' for spikes where the flowers have passed anthesis and are progressing towards seed set. Where these terms are not used, you can assume that the flower spike doesn't change significantly in appearance over the course of the flowering period.
While this page contains the species that you are most likely to come across in most situations, it should be noted that most of them have look-alike, closely-related species. Therefore, it is recommended that you follow the link given for each species to the page where it will be compared in greater detail with possible confusion species, as a way of confirming your identification.
Common Bent Agrostis capillaris
A native perennial, commonly found in most grassy places, especially on acid and neutral soils. Flowers June to August. Plants 10-70cm in height and spreading by short rhizomes to form slightly tufted patches. Leaf blades 1-5mm wide, hairless, finely pointed at the tip. Leaf sheaths rounded, smooth. Leaf ligule membranous, long. Flower spike very narrow when young, open and spreading at anthesis and remaining open at fruiting. Spikelets tiny, 2-3.5mm, clustered towards the tips of very fine branchlets with a single floret in each spikelet. Lemmas not awned. Spikelets may be green (especially in shade) but are more often purplish. Compare with other bents.
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Creeping Bent Agrostis stolonifera
A native perennial, abundant in grassy places, especially on damper soils in river floodplains. Flowers July to August. Plants 10-80cm in height and spreading by long, creeping stolons to form large, spreading patches. Leaf blades 0.5-5mm wide, hairless, finely pointed at the tip, rolled when young but eventually flat. Leaf sheaths rounded, smooth. Leaf ligule membranous, medium to long. Flower spike very narrow when young, open and spreading at anthesis then closing again at fruiting. Spikelets tiny, 2-3mm, clustered towards the tips of very fine branchlets with a single floret in each spikelet. Lemmas not awned. Compare with other bents.
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Smooth Meadow-grass Poa pratensis
A native perennial found in many types of grassy places and a common constituent of many meadows and open grassland habitats. Flowers May to July. Plants 10-80cm in height according to habitat (shorter in dry, open places, taller when among other plants or in shade) and spreading to form extensive patches. Leaf blades and sheaths hairless, pointed at the tip or slightly rounded and hooded, 2-5mm wide. Leaf ligule membranous, short. Flower spike open and spreading at anthesis and remaining open at fruiting, with 3-5 branches at the lowest node. Spikelets densely packed with 2-5 florets. Note that this is the commonest of a cluster of rather similar species and subspecies found in East Anglia. Compare with other meadow-grasses.
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Narrow-leaved Meadow-grass Poa angustifolia
A native perennial found in grassy places on dry soils such as heaths, commons and roadsides. Flowers April to July. Plants 20-70cm in height according to habitat. Leaf blades 1.5-2mm wide, rather variable but generally noticeably fine and narrow. Leaf ligule membranous, short. Flower spike open and spreading at anthesis and remaining open at fruiting, branches fine, mostly in clusters of 3-5. Spikelets relatively small, 2.5-5mm, densely packed with 2-5 florets. Told from similar meadow-grasses by the long, narrow and rather stiff leaves that can resemble those of Red fescue. Compare with other meadow-grasses.
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Spreading Meadow-grass Poa humilis
A native perennial found in a wide range of grassy places, both damp and dry. Flowers June to July. Plants 3.5-25cm in height according to habitat. Leaf blades 1.5-4mm wide, rather variable but often slightly bluish-tinted and relatively short. Leaf ligule membranous, short, often accompanied by stiff hairs around the base of the leaf blade. Flower spike open and spreading at anthesis and remaining open at fruiting, branches mostly in clusters of 2-3 (including at the lowest node). Spikelets 4-7mm, densely packed with 2-4 florets. A rather small meadow-grass with often solitary and widely spaced flower spikes. Compare with other meadow-grasses.
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Yorkshire-fog Holcus lanatus
A native perennial, common to abundant in many kinds of grassy places, especially on land that has been improved or disturbed in the past. Flowers May to September. Plants 20-100cm in height, variously as spaced stems or densely tussock-forming according to land use and management. Leaf blades 3-10mm wide, softly hairy or downy, flat and pointed. Leaf sheaths rounded, hairy. Ligule membranous, short to medium. Flower spike very narrow when young and typically pinkish-purple in colour, spreading at anthesis and remaining open with age. Spikelets 4-6mm with usually 2 florets. Lemmas keeled, the lower unawned, uppers shortly awned. Compare with other oat-grasses.
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Common Cock's-foot Dactylis glomerata
A native perennial, common to abundant in many kinds of grassy places, especially on land that has been improved or disturbed in the past. Flowers June to September. Plants 15-140cm in height, typically densely tussock-forming. Leaf blades 2-14mm wide, greyish-green, coarse, folded at first but opening flat. Leaf sheaths strongly keeled (due to flattened stems), hairless but rough to the touch. Ligule membranous, medium to long. Flower spike consisting of one or two, well-spaced lower branches and a cluster of short branches at the top, the lower branches at right angles during anthesis and folding up with age. Spikelets 5-9mm with 2-5 florets, the spikelets tightly bunched in one-sided clusters. Lemmas tightly packed, elongated and sharp-pointed with a stiff awn. A very distinctive species once learned.
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Red Fescue Festuca rubra
A native perennial, abundant in a variety of forms in all kinds of grassy places. Flowers June to August. Very variable in appearance with several subspecies recognised, especially in coastal habitats. Plants 20-100cm in height and variably spreading or clump forming. Leaf blades often very fine, 1-5mm or more wide according to subspecies, hairless, finely pointed at the tip, rolled or flat. Leaf sheaths rounded, smooth, fused together more or less to the top and hiding the minuscule ligule. Flower spike spreading at anthesis, often slightly drooping towards the tip when young. Spikelets 5-14mm with 3-12 florets. Lemmas shortly awned. Compare with other fescues.
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Meadow Fescue Schedonorus pratensis
A native perennial, but also included in grass seed mixes in new sowings. Widespread but rather thinly distributed and most typically a constituent of grassland on old commons and in churchyards. Flowers June to August. Plants 45-90cm in height, sometimes forming tussocks, but may also be loosely scattered, especially where regularly mown or grazed. Leaf blades tough, long strap-like, 3-8mm wide, hairless and glossy beneath, rough on the margin and tapering to a fine point. Leaf sheaths rounded, not fused together around the stem and ending in two, wing-like auricles that do not have bristles on their margins. Ligule membranous, short. Flower spike narrow when young, spreading at anthesis and with the shorter of the two lowest branches bearing no more than two spikelets. Spikelets 10-20mm with 5-14 florets. Lemmas awnless or rarely with an awn no more than 1.4mm long. Compare with other fescues.
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Tall Fescue Schedonorus arundinaceus
A native perennial, frequent to locally common on roadsides and rough, marginal land, often spreading from where originally sown as a pasture grass in improved meadows. Flowers June to August. Plants 45-200cm in height, often forming tough tussocks, except where regularly mown or grazed. Leaf blades tough, long strap-like, 3-12mm wide, hairless or slightly hairy beneath, tapering to a fine point. Leaf sheaths rounded, not fused together around the stem and ending in two, wing-like auricles that have a few bristles on their margins. Ligule membranous, short. Flower spike narrow when young, spreading at anthesis and with the shorter of the two lowest branches bearing three or more spikelets. Spikelets 10-18mm with 3-10 florets. Lemmas shortly awned or awnless. Compare with other fescues.
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Common Sheep's Fescue Festuca ovina
A native perennial, Very common in a wide range of dry soils, both chalky and acidic. Flowers May to July. Plants to 50cm in height and forming dense tussocks. Leaf blades very narrow, 0.6-1.4mm wide, hairless, greyish-green to green, blunt at the tip and tightly inrolled. Leaf sheaths rounded, smooth, with rounded auricles and a very short ligule. Flower spike upright, spreading at anthesis, later closing up. Spikelets 5.3-7.2mm with 2-9 florets, upper glume 2.7-4.2mm, lemmas 3.3-4.9mm, with an awn 0.2-1.6mm long. Compare with other fescues.
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False Oat-grass Arrhenatherum elatius
A native perennial, common to abundant in many kinds of grassy places and often forming continuous cover for many miles along main roads, hedgebanks and on coastal floodbanks and similar places. Flowers June to August. Plants 50-180cm in height, loosely tussock-forming. Leaf blades 4-10mm wide, hairless or slightly hairy beneath, flat and pointed. Leaf sheaths rounded, usually smooth but sometimes a little hairy. Ligule membranous, short, rounded at the tip. Flower spike narrow when young, spreading at anthesis and becoming very narrow and upright with age. Spikelets 7-11mm with usually 2 florets (occasionally up to 5). Lower lemma with a 10-20mm awn, upper lemma shortly awned or awnless. Compare with other oat-grasses.
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Yellow Oat-grass Trisetum flavescens
A native perennial, common in many kinds of grassy places, especially old commons and roadsides, on all but the most acidic soils. Flowers May to July. Plants 20-100cm in height, loosely tussock-forming. Leaf blades 2-10mm wide, variably hairy or hairless, flat and pointed. Leaf sheaths rounded, the lower ones often hairy. Ligule membranous, 0.5-2mm, rounded at the tip. Flower spike narrow when young, spreading at anthesis and becoming narrow and upright again with age. Spikelets 5-7mm with 2-4 florets. Lemmas 4-5.7mm with a 2.5-9mm awn arising from or near the middle of the back. A graceful grass, often forming extensive colonies of stems and developing a rich, yellow-straw colour. Compare with other oat-grasses.
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Downy Oat-grass Avenula pubescens
A native perennial that favours chalky soils. Scattered thinly across the region but quite common on poorer soils in Breckland and Cambridgeshire. Flowers May to July. Plants 30-100cm in height, loosely tussock-forming and with short rhizomes. Leaf blades 2-6mm wide, variably hairy or hairless, flat and pointed. Leaf sheaths rounded, the lower ones densely hairy. Ligule membranous, 2-8mm, pointed at the tip. Flower spike very open and delicate. Spikelets 10-17mm with 2-4 florets. Lemmas 9-14mm with a 12-22mm awn, twisted at the base and arising from or near the middle of the back. Compare with other oat-grasses.
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Meadow Oat-grass Helictochloa pratensis
A native perennial that favours shallow, chalky soils. Scattered thinly across the region but quite common on poorer soils in Breckland and Cambridgeshire. Flowers June to July. Plants 30-80cm in height, densely tussock-forming. Leaf blades 1-5mm wide, bluish-green, rough margined, more or less hairless, flat and blunt-tipped. Leaf sheaths hairless. Ligule membranous, 1-5mm, pointed at the tip. Flower spike compact and upright at first, becoming open and sreading at anthesis. Spikelets 11-28mm with 3-8 florets. Lemmas 10-17mm with a 12-22mm awn, twisted at the base and arising from or near the middle of the back. Compare with other oat-grasses.
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Common Soft-brome Bromus hordeaceus
A native annual, or overwintering as a biennial. Common to abundant in rough, disturbed or neglected ground as well as in open swards in grassy places. Flowers May to July. Plants 15-80cm in height, extremely variable according to growing conditions. Leaf blades 2-7mm wide, softly downy. Leaf sheaths rounded and hairy (often hairless on the uppermost sheaths). Ligule membranous, medium length and ragged-tipped. Flower spike upright at first, becoming more open at anthesis, then the branches closing together again later. Spikelets 12-22mm with 6-12 florets (really small plants may have just a single spikelet). Lemmas strongly overlapping, downy, with a short awn 5-10mm in length. The commonest form in a complex group of rather similar species and subspecies. Compare with other bromes.
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Perennial Rye-grass Lolium perenne
A native perennial, abundant in most grassy habitats and commonly dominant in improved grasslands. Flowers May to August. Plants 30-80cm in height, variably tussocky or more open and with non-flowering shoots (tillers) at flowering and fruiting time as well as creeping rhizomes. Leaf blades 2-6mm wide, hairless, slightly ridged on the upper side and distinctly glossy on the underside, folded along the midrib when emerging. Leaf sheaths rounded and hairless. Ligule membranous, short. Flower spike long, narrow and wiry. Spikelets 7-20mm with 4-14 florets, alternating from one side to the other along a sinuous central stem, with the flat face of the spikelets at 90 degrees to the central stem. Lemmas blunt or pointed at the tip, but without awns. Compare with other rye-grasses.
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Common Couch Elymus repens
A native perennial, common to abundant in a wide range of disturbed and open ground, roadsides and grassy places. Flowers May to August. Plants 30-120cm in height, variably tussocky or more often forming extensive patches from far-creeping rhizomes. Plants may be green or strongly glaucous (blue-grey). Leaf blades 1.5-10mm wide, hairless, slightly ridged and variably downy on the upper side and rough on the underside, the ridges having rounded (not flat) tops. Leaf sheaths rounded and hairless on the upper leaves, downy on the lower leaves, with the sheaths of the lower leaves not having a row of minute hairs along their exposed margin. Ligule membranous, very short. Flower spike upright or drooping to one side. Spikelets 10-20mm with 3-8 florets, alternating from one side to the other along a sinuous central stem, with the flat face of the spikelets facing the central stem, like clapping hands. Lemmas blunt or pointed at the tip, with or without an awn to 15mm in length. Largely replaced in coastal habitats by Sea Couch (Elymus athericus). Compare with other couches.
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Meadow Barley Hordeum secalinum
A native perennial. Widespread in our region in heavier soils, especially where prone to winter flooding, but especially frequent in coastal grazing marshes and along raised, coastal floodbanks, extending out into the upper-saltmarsh. Flowers June to july. Plants to 80cm in height, forming loose tufts with non-flowering shoots present at flowering time. Leaf blades 2-6mm wide, lightly hairy or smooth. Leaf sheaths rounded, the lower ones hairy, the uppers hairless and with a very short auricle or without auricles. Ligule membranous, very short. Flower spike upright but not stiffly so, 2-8cm long. Spikelets each with a single floret, attached to each other in groups of three, the larger middle floret bisexual, the smaller outer two male or sterile. Central florets with lemmas 6-9mm long and narrow, with an awn up to 12mm in length. Care should be taken in separating from Wall Barley, which can be common on floodbanks in some places. Compare with other barleys.
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Sweet Vernal-grass Anthoxanthum odoratum
A native perennial, widespread and often common in many kinds of grassy places. Often particularly plentiful in old grasslands such as churchyards and well-managed meadows. Flowers April to July - one of the first grasses to flower in the spring. Plants 10-80cm in height, variably tussocky. Leaf blades 1.5-6mm wide, relatively short but otherwise variable, especially in their hairiness. Leaf sheaths rounded and variably smooth or hairy, with a 'beard' of whiskery hairs at the apex. Ligule membranous, medium to long, rounded at the tip. Flower spike narrow but relatively short, broadest in the middle and tapering to a point, 1-10cm in length. Spikelets 6-10mm with 3 florets, the central one fertile, the other two sterile. Lemmas olive-brown with short awns. Flowers with only two anthers (most grasses have three).
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Crested Dog's-tail Cynosurus cristatus
A native perennial, widespread in natural and semi-natural grasslands. Flowers June to August. Plants 5-75cm in height, tussock-forming. Leaf blades 1-4mm wide, smooth or minutely downy. Leaf sheaths rounded and smooth. Ligule membranous, up to 0.5-1.5mm in length, with a rounded tip. Flower spike narrow and upright, distinctly one-sided with the central stem clearly visible on one side. Spike made up of a mixture of fertile and sterile spikelets, the fertile 3-6mm long, with 2-5 florets. The one-sided spikes are very distinctive but look rather different at anthesis (with the spikelets spreading) and before or after anthesis (with the spikelets pressed together).
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Meadow Foxtail Alopecurus pratensis
A native perennial, common and widespread on clay soils and damper ground. Flowers April to July. Plants 30-120cm in height, variably tussocky and often forming extensive patches. Leaf blades 3-10mm wide, hairless. Leaf sheaths rounded and smooth, the uppers slightly inflated. Ligule membranous, 1-2.5mm long, rounded. Flower spike 20-130mm long, narrow and upright. Spikelets 4-6mm long, each with a single floret, densely packed in the spike. Glumes greenish-white with a narrow green stripe, joined in their lower half and hiding the lemmas and florets. Lemmas with an awn arising from the lower third of the back and exceeding the glumes by 3-5mm. Compare with other cat's-tails.
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Marsh Foxtail Alopecurus geniculatus
A native perennial, common and widespread on damper ground, especially along river valleys and in coastal grazing marshes where it grows well in areas that are flooded in winter and poached by livestock. Flowers June to August. Plants 15-45cm in height, the stems blue-green, spreading from the base then bent at the nodes, often creeping to form spreading rafts on wet areas. Leaf blades 2-7mm wide, hairless. Leaf sheaths rounded and smooth, the uppers slightly inflated. Ligule membranous, 2-5mm long, pointed at the tip. Flower spike 15-70mm long, narrow and upright. Spikelets 2-3.3mm long, each with a single floret, densely packed in the spike. Glumes greenish-white with a narrow green stripe, free more or less to their bases and hiding the lemmas and florets. Lemmas with an awn arising from just above the base and exceeding the glumes by 1.5-3mm. Compare with other cat's-tails.
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Timothy Phleum pratense
A native perennial, common in natural and semi-natural grasslands, including parks and playing areas as well as roadsides. Flowers May to August. Plants 40-120cm in height, variably tussocky or forming patches. Leaf blades 3-9mm wide, hairless, rather stout. Leaf sheaths rounded and smooth. Ligule membranous, long, with a rounded tip. Flower spike 60-150mm, narrow and upright. Spikelets 4-5mm long, each with a single floret, densely packed in the spike. The paired glumes are very distinctive and hide the lemmas and florets; they bear a comb-like line of stiff hairs along their edge and terminate in a pointed spike, 1-2mm long. Compare with other cat's-tails.
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Smaller Cat's-tail Phleum bertolonii
A native perennial, common in natural and semi-natural grasslands. Flowers June to August. Plants 10-50cm in height, variably tussocky or forming patches. Leaf blades 2-6mm wide, hairless. Leaf sheaths rounded and smooth. Ligule membranous, up to 2mm in length, with a rounded tip. Flower spike 10-60mm, narrow and upright. Spikelets 2-3.5mm long, each with a single floret, densely packed in the spike. The paired glumes are very distinctive and hide the lemmas and florets; they bear a comb-like line of stiff hairs along their edge and terminate in a pointed spike, 0.2-1.2mm long. Compare with other cat's-tails.
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Crested Hair-grass Koeleria macrantha
A native perennial of dry soils, both chalky and acidic. Most frequent around Breckland and in coastal sands. Flowers June to July. Plants 10-60cm in height and forming tight tussocks. Leaf blades 1-2.5mm wide, variably hairy or hairless, greyish-green to green, ridged, blunt at the tip. Leaf sheaths rounded, lower sheaths hairy, uppers smooth. Ligule membranous, up to 1mm in length. Flower spike stiff and upright, spreading at anthesis, later closing up tightly. Spikelets 4-6mm with 2-3 florets. Glumes 4-5.5mm. Lemmas 3.5-5.5mm, pointed but unawned. Could be mistaken for a fescue but the leaves are rather different to those of the smaller fescues.
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Common Quaking-grass Briza media
A native perennial of unimproved, dry soils, both chalky and neutral. Flowers June to August. Plants 15-75cm in height and forming loose tufts. Leaf blades 2-4mm wide, green, minutely rough on the margins, blunt at the tip. Leaf sheaths rounded, smooth. Ligule membranous, 0.5-1.5mm in length. Flower spike a very distinctive, open panicle with the spikelets clustered at the ends of very slender branches that tremble in the wind. Spikelets 4-7mm with 4-12 florets, forming rounded clusters. Glumes 2.5-3.5mm. Lemmas 3.5-4mm, rounded, deeply concave and strongly overlapping. Very distinctive amongst our native grasses, but their are other quaking-grass species that occasionally occur in urban areas. Compare with other quaking-grasses.
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Wood Small-reed Calamagrostis epigejos
A native perennial, frequent in Breckland and increasingly appearing elsewhere as a colonist on banks and disturbed ground. Flowers June to August. Plants 60-200cm in height, forming extensive, spreading colonies. Leaf blades 4-10mm wide, hairless but rather rough, strongly grooved above, long, flat and pointed. Leaf sheaths rounded, smooth. Ligule membranous, 4-9mm, ragged. Flower spike narrow when young, becoming very open and spreading at anthesis and becoming narrow and upright again with age. Spikelets 4.2-7.5mm with a single floret. Glumes 4.2-7.5mm long, narrowly lanceolate and fine pointed. Lemmas 2.5-3mm with a 1.4-1.7mm awn and surrounded by a plume of white hairs that are longer than the lemma. Compare with other small-reeds.
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