Dactylis glomerata
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- DAK-ty-lis glahm-er-AH-tuh
- Description
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Dactylis glomerata, or Orchard Grass, is a cool-season perennial bunching grass that grows up to 6 feet high. It is a cespitose (clumping, mat forming) grass native to Eurasia and Africa that is generally considered a weed. It can be found in meadows, pasture, roadsides, and rough grassland and has become invasive in some areas of eastern USA. Orchard grass forms a dense network of non-rhizomatous roots, making it useful for erosion control. It has been introduced throughout most of the cool-temperate regions of the world as a forage grass in pastures, and for hay and silage production. It is highly palatable to all classes of livestock, although it is considered a weed in turf grass. Cats are said to like to chew it, hence the common name Cat Grass. Orchardgrass is used in grass-legume mixes for nesting, broad rearing, escape and winter cover in upland wildlife and conservation plantings.
Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems:
No known diseases or insect problems. Considered invasive in some states. Weedy, When abundant, the pollen can be a major contributor to hay fever.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Latar'
Late season strain, highly recommended for pasture and hay production.
- 'Latar'
- 'Latar'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Latar'
Late season strain, highly recommended for pasture and hay production.
- 'Latar'
- 'Latar'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Dactylis
- Species:
- glomerata
- Family:
- Poaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- It is used as a medicine to treat unspecified disorders. Feed for livestock and also used for erosion control.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Macaronesia, Mediterranean to Temperate Eurasia, Africa
- Distribution:
- throughout North America
- Wildlife Value:
- Orchardgrass is used in grass-legume mixes for nesting, brood rearing, escape and winter cover in upland wildlife and conservation plantings. It also provides forage for livestock, deer, geese, and rabbits.
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Cover/Habitat
- Wildlife Food Source
- Wildlife Larval Host
- Wildlife Nesting
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- drought
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Weed
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Dense
- Erect
- Multi-stemmed
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Fruit Length:
- > 3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Fruit are valuable to wildlife. Two to eight inches in panicle.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Spike
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Long Bloom Season
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- Panicle, 0.4 to 3 inches long, with spikelets grouped together in dense, one-sided clusters at the end of panicle branches, usually pyramidal. Spikelets greenish, contain 2 to 5 florets, lemmas pointed to short-awned. The flowers are very inconspicuous, without showy petals or sepals. The distinctive tufted triangular flowerhead is green to reddish and turns gray as the seeds mature.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Blue
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Rough
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves up to 10 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Leaves have a bluish hue, folded when immature but later flat, with prominent white midrib on the under side. The leaf blades of infertile shoots spread outward and remain low, while the blades of alternate leaves on fertile shoots are more arching.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Stems are hairless, geniculate the base. Plants are clump-forming.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Meadow
- Naturalized Area
- Slope/Bank
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Attracts:
- Small Mammals
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Erosion
- Problems:
- Weedy
