Rough Meadow-grass - Poa trivialis

Slightly tufted or single stemmed grass from 20 to 60 cm, without rhizomes, but with leafy stolons. Leaf sheaths of flowering stems very rough. Panicle branches mostly in spreading whorls each branch with 4 to 6 spikelets.

Poa pratensis

The panicle is clearly branched, with three or more branches at the lowest whorl. Spikelets contain two or more florets without awns. Lemmas easily seen extending beyond glume tips. The ligule is longer than wide and the lowest sheath is rough when gently rubbed in one direction against the lips.

Photograph of whole plant in flower, and ligule

Meadows, woods, roadside verges and waste ground.

Late May to July.

Perennial.

Abundant throughout Britain.

Very common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 568 of the 617 tetrads.