perennial ryegrass

plant

Also known as: Lolium perenne

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 1, 2026

Quick Summary

Perennial ryegrass, also known as English ryegrass, is a European perennial grass (Lolium perenne). It is widely cultivated for pasture, hay, and as a lawn grass. Ryegrasses belong to the genus Lolium and can be annuals or perennials. These tufted plants typically grow to about 1 to 3.3 feet tall and have tough, dark green leaves. Their flower spikelets are arranged on a zigzag stem, and they possess extensive root systems, making them useful for erosion control. Perennial ryegrass and annual ryegrass are significant components of pasture and lawn seed mixtures globally. It is important to note that ryegrasses are not related to cereal rye.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

ryegrass
…Eurasia and Africa, and both perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and annual ryegrass (L. multiflorum) are important constituents of pasture and lawn-seed mixtures used around the world. The plants are unrelated to cereal rye (Secale cereale).
Read More
…Eurasia and Africa, and both perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and annual ryegrass (L. multiflorum) are important constituents of pasture and lawn-seed mixtures used around the world. The plants are unrelated to cereal rye (Secale cereale).
Read More