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Meadow foxtail

Alopecurus pratensis

Also called Golden Foxtail Grass, Perennial Foxtail, Yellow Foxtail Grass, Field Foxtail

Meadow foxtail
Photo: Olivier vandevelde, CC0

Meadow foxtail is a perennial grass native to Europe and Asia, common on moist, fertile, neutral grasslands and widely grown for pasture and hay. It needs moist, fertile soil and avoids waterlogged or dry ground.

Family
Poaceae (Grass family)
Grows as
Grass, Perennial
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Keep soil moist, especially during growth; avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Moist, fertile, neutral soil; avoids waterlogged, light or dry soils.
Temperature
Hardy in temperate climates; cold-tolerant perennial, native from Europe to Mongolia.
How easy
Easy
Native range
Azores, Europe to Mongolia and W. Himalaya
Climate
temperate

About

Alopecurus pratensis, known as the meadow foxtail or the field meadow foxtail, is a perennial grass belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to Europe and Asia.

It is a common plant is found on grasslands, especially on neutral soils. It is found on moist, fertile soils, but avoids waterlogged, light or dry soils. It forms dense swards leading to low botanical diversity and is widely cultivated for pasture and hay, and has become naturalised in many areas outside its native range, including Australia and North America.

Where it grows

The caterpillars of some lepidopterans use it as a foodplant, e.g. the Essex skipper (Thymelicus lineola). Additionally, male mosquitoes can often be found on this flower drinking the nectar out of it.

Other Alopecurus plants

Shortawn foxtail · Creeping meadow foxtail · Carolina foxtail · Water foxtail · Slender meadow foxtail · Foxtail

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Alopecurus pratensis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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