Distribution and biology of rough-stalked meadow-grass in the UK

Rough-stalked meadow-grass is a grass weed occurring throughout the UK. Find out how to identify and control it.

Rough-stalked meadow-grass (Poa trivialis) is palatable to stock and is useful for hay. It tends to flower in winter cereals, but spreads by stolons and does not produce flowerheads in spring cereals. Although plants can overwinter they do not grow before April. Growth in spring is fast, but leaves are short-lived. Seedlings generally germinate immediately after seeds are shed, although some remain dormant. Vegetative reproduction can also occur from stolon fragments.

• It has value to biodiversity

It behaves like an annual in cereal crops or can grow as a semi-rosette with creeping leafy stolons. Stems may reach 90 cm, but are usually prostrate. The leaf blade is folded with a curved tip. The flowerhead is a conical shape.

Plant: The leaf sheath is rough and the lower leaf surface is glossy with a prominent ridge.

Rough-stalked meadow-grass occurs in damp, fertile and sometimes disturbed land with large amounts of bare soil. It is most frequent in lowland areas but has been identified at an altitude of 760 m.

It grows on all but the most acidic soils but is usually found at pH> 5. It prefers moisture-retentive soils.

• Seed longevity: 1–5 years
• Seed weight: 0.14 mg
• Seeds/head: 1–10

Ploughing reduces populations so that plants tend to be more frequent in minimum tillage. 

For advice on herbicides, please speak with your agronomist or adviser.

When was this information last updated?

This page is based on content from the encyclopaedia of arable weeds publication. Since it was first released in 2008, the publication has been redesigned several times but not revised. However, it remains a good foundation for general information on the distribution and biology of weeds.