# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/55fead69-9ca3-4c6f-af5c-ea2b3c0341a2
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/57190
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phleum pratense
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/109765489/medium.jpg (Matt Lavin, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.