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Timothy
Phleum pratense
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Alien species
Timothy is a tall, tuft-forming grass widely grown for hay. Its firm, cylinder-shaped flower-heads make it easy to recognise, and it is a familiar sight in meadows, hayfields and along roadsides.
Did you know?
- Its pollen is a common trigger for hay fever.
- The English name comes from a farmer, Timothy Hanson, who promoted it in the 1700s.
About the species
Identification
Perennial grass forming loose tufts, usually 50–100 cm tall. Stems upright, smooth, often slightly thickened like a small bulb at the base. Leaves flat, plain green, 4–10 mm wide, smooth, with fine grooves on the upper side. Flower-head a dense, straight cylinder 5–9 cm long, usually green and rough to the touch; it stays narrow and even from base to tip. After flowering it sheds tiny grains from the head. Distinguish from meadow foxtail: foxtail’s head is softer, more tapered and flowers earlier; Timothy’s is firmer, bristly and evenly cylindrical. Flowers in Finland from June to August.
Plant group
Grasses, sedges and rushes
Habitat
meadow
Flowering
Jun–Aug
About the habitat
Grows in meadows, pastures and sown grassland, and often on roadsides, yards and waste ground. Common up to South Lapland; rare in Central Lapland and occasional in North Lapland.
Sources
Photo: Joe Dillon, CC BY 4.0 https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/6131159659
Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Versot: Poaceae, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40617
Text: Pinkka: IPS-153 Flora of Subarctic Europe - Nardus-Pyrola, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40617
Text: Pinkka (Luomus), CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40617
Text: Pinkka: BIO-516 Hyötykasvit - Rehukasveja, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40617
Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Kaikki leviäimet, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40617
Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timotei
