SafePlants

Meadow Foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis)

Meadow foxtail, also known as field meadow foxtail, is a perennial grass appreciated for its early growth and use as a forage grass. It's found in various habitats, from grasslands to pastures.

Considerations for Pets

• This plant is a grass, and grasses are known for having sharp edges on their blades that could cause minor irritation.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Alopecurus pratensis
• Common Names: Meadow foxtail, field meadow foxtail
• Family: Poaceae (grass family)
• Synonyms: Creeping meadow foxtail (Alopecurus arundinaceus)

Distribution and Habitat

• Native to the UK, specifically throughout England and Wales, but not northern Scotland or western Ireland.
• Native to Eurasia and North Africa.
• Introduced to North America as a pasture grass.
• Found in neutral grasslands and persists in improved swards.
• Common in meadows and pastures.
• Also found in low-lying or wet areas.

Ecological Role

• Considered an environmental weed in some parts of Victoria.
• Can be invasive.

Morphological Characteristics

• Moderately tall, erect, tufted, leafy perennial grass.
• Grows to about three feet (approximately 30-100 cm) in height.
• Tufted grass 30 to 100 cm tall, usually erect, occasionally kneed at base.
• Long cylindrical flower heads with short silky hairs, giving it the name "foxtail".
• Panicles are cylindrical, blunt and soft, 2 to 10 cm long and 5 to 10 mm wide.
• Greenish flowering spike.
• Erect, light to medium green culms that are unbranched, terete, hairless, and hollow.

Growth Habits

• Long-lived perennial.
• Thrives in moist and/or fine-textured soils.
• Intolerant of drought.
• One of the first grasses to begin growth in the spring.
• In mild climates, can grow throughout the winter season.
• Early seed production.

Quirky Facts

• Drooping purple or orange anthers on the flower head indicate that it is flowering.
• Resembles Timothy grass, but matures its seed earlier.

Interactions with Other Organisms

• Used as a forage grass for livestock. Yearling steers grazing meadow foxtail gained weight, although slightly less than those grazing timothy in one study.

Further Information

• Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) provides information on Alopecurus pratensis 'Aureovariegatus'.
• Oregon State System of Higher Education, Agricultural Experiment Station, Oregon State College (Reference to a 1947 publication).