Perennial Ryegrass - Lolium perenne Perennial Ryegrass - Lolium perenne
Foto: botanika.wendys.cz

Herb: Perennial Ryegrass


Latin name: Lolium perenne


Family: Gramineae (Grass Family)



Medicinal use of Perennial Ryegrass:

The plant has occasionally been used in the treatment of cancer, diarrhoea, haemorrhages and malaria.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Perennial

Height:
100 cm
(3 1/4 foot)

Habitat of the herb:

Meadows and weedy places.

Edible parts of Perennial Ryegrass:

Seed - cooked. Used as a cereal. The seed has a nutritional value similar to oats (Avena sativa) and contain gluten. An emergency food, it is only used when all else fails. The seed is rather small and fiddly to use. Yields of 1 tonne per hectare have been achieved, though around 500kg is a more common yield.

Other uses of the herb:

The plant has the potential to be used as a source of biomass. Yields of up to 25 tonnes per hectare have been reported from Europe. In the absence of definitive yield information an average yield of 17.5 tonnes of dry matter per hectare per year and an energy content of 17.5 GJ per metric tonne are assumed.

Propagation of Perennial Ryegrass:

Seed - sow in situ in the spring. It is also possible to sow the seed in situ in the autumn in most parts of Britain. This will give larger plants and heavier yields.

Cultivation of the herb:

Meadows and weedy places.

Known hazards of Lolium perenne:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.