Timothy (Phleum pratense) is a species of perennial grass native to most of Europe and northern and western Asia. It is a member of the genus Phleum, which consists of 17 species of annual and perennial grasses.

It is probably named after Timothy Hanson, a British farmer and agriculturalist said to have introduced it from New England to the southern United States in the early 18th century. Upon his recommendation it became a major source of hay and cattle fodder to British farmers in the mid-18th century.

Timothy has now become naturalised throughout most of North America, eastern Asia, southern South America, and Australasia.

It is a tufted grass, with no stolons or rhizomes. The ligule is short and blunt. however, the latter is now generally considered to be a separate species, smaller cat's-tail Phleum bertolonii DC.

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Timothy grass pollen allergen is used to treat hay fever.

Breeding objectives in timothy

Breeding programs for forage grasses and especially timothy have been focusing on the improvement of dry matter yield, resistance to disease, dry matter digestibility, and nutritional value, which depends on target species and environment. Due to high phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity in individual plants, and the polyploidy of many species, breeding programmes for timothy are accompanied by some difficulties.

Confusion with other species

It is often confused with meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis). Timothy flowers later, from June until August, whereas meadow foxtail flowers from April until June. The spikelets of timothy are twin hornlike projections arranged in cylindrical panicles, whereas foxtail has a soft, single awn.

Purple-stem cat's-tail (Phleum phleoides) prefers lighter soils and grows on chalk downland.

Timothy canary grass (Phalaris angusta), another species with a similar cylindrical panicle, is toxic to livestock.

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File:Timothy awns.jpg|Close-up of flower head showing hornlike spikelets

File:Alopecurus pratensis1.JPG|Meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis) spikelet

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References

  • Flora Europaea: Phleum pratense
  • Timothy - US Department of Agriculture