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Persian Darnel (Lolium persicum Boiss. & Hohen. ex Boiss.)

Also known as Persian ryegrass.

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↑Summary

A winter annual native to Asia which often occurs as a weed in wheat and barley fields in the northern parts of the continent.

↑Range - Expand

LegendColor
Introduced
Introduced but Eliminated
Introduced or Not Present

This map is based on our research. We have checked its accuracy to Level 3 ecoregions. Although this plant occurs somewhere in each of these regions, it may only occur in a small part of some or all of them.

↑Habitat

In North America, this species most frequently occurs as a weed in annual cool-season crops such as wheat and barley. It typically thrives in these crops because its lifecycle is similar to that of the crops themselves, and because it looks similar enough to the crops prior to seeding, and also grows slightly lower than them, that it often goes unnoticed until the time of harvest.

It has occasionally been observed in other disturbed anthropogenic habitats such as roadsides and waste areas.

It so far has not shown much propensity to invade intact natural ecosystems.

↑Life Cycle

Persian darnel is a winter annual that mostly survives by reseeding itself each year.

Most seeds germinate or die after the first year and only a small number contribute to a short-term seed bank: 10% or fewer are viable after 2 years, and less than 2% after 3 years.

• Lolium persicum (Persian ryegrass) | USDA PLANTS Database (About This Site)

• Lolium persicum | CABI Invasive Species Compendium (About This Site)

• Lolium persicum | Biota of North America Project (BONAP) (About This Site)

• Lolium persicum | NatureServe Explorer (About This Site)

• Lolium persicum | Flora of North America (About This Site)

• Lolium persicum Boiss. & Hohen. | Plants of the World Online (POWO) (About This Site)

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