Timothy grass
Phleum pratense
It was named after Timothy Hanson, an American agriculturist who promoted its cultivation as a highly nutritious hay crop in the early 18th century.
- Scientific name
- Phleum pratense
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Liliopsida › Poales › Poaceae › Phleum
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Cool-season pastures, meadows, roadsides, and disturbed soils.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis requiring sunlight, water, and soil nutrients).
- Range
- Europe, North America, Asia, South America, Australia
- Size
- Stems grow 50 to 150 cm tall, with flower spikes 5 to 15 cm long.
- Lifespan
- Perennial (individual plants can live for 3 to 5+ years, regenerating from corms).
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Overgrazing, severe drought, land development, and invasive weed displacement.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to touch and walk through. However, its abundant summer pollen is a major trigger for hay fever (allergic rhinitis). If you have grass allergies, maintain a safe distance during flowering season (June-July) and wash skin or eyes with cool water if exposed.
Timothy-grass ( Phleum pratense ) is an abundant perennial grass native to most of Europe except for the Mediterranean region. It is also known simply as timothy , meadow cat's-tail or common cat's tail . It is one of the Phleum genus, consisting of about 15 species of annual and perennial grasses.
Photo: Matt Lavin, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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