Meadow foxtail or the field meadow foxtail

Meadow foxtail grass (Alopecurus pratensis)

The meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis) is a plant species of the genus foxtail grasses in the family of sweet grasses. It is a persistent upper grass with a high feed value.

The meadow foxtail is regionally also called donkey grass, dog grass, rattail, fox feather duster, hair puller or rye grass.

The persistent meadow foxtail grass is a grass growing in loose or dense horsts. It grows runners up to 10 cm long and upright stalks up to 100 cm high. The linear leaves are 4 to 10 mm wide.

The small 4 to 6 mm long spikelets carry an almost as long awn and are combined at the end of the stalks to compact, 3 to 10 cm long spikelets. Two forms can be distinguished on the basis of the colouring of the panicle (green or blackish).

Also an ear panicle grass is the superficially similar meadow timothy, which populates similar locations. It can easily be distinguished by the missing awn

Occurrence meadow foxtail grass

Effect of meadow foxtail grass