Timothy (grass)
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Timothy<ref>Clause 5.3.2.2.3 BS 7370-5Template:Full citation needed</ref> (Phleum pratense) is an abundant perennial grass native to most of Europe except for the Mediterranean region. It is also known as timothy-grass, meadow cat's-tail or common cat's tail.<ref>The Observer's Book of Grasses, Sedge and Rushes by Francis Rose, page 112, 1976, Template:ISBN, published by Frederick Warne and Co.</ref> It is a member of the genus Phleum, consisting of about 15 species of annual and perennial grasses.
It is probably named after Timothy Hanson, an American farmer and agriculturalist said to have introduced it from New England to the southern states in the early 18th century.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref><ref>Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed., p. 1310.</ref><ref>Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. "timothy grass".</ref> Upon his recommendation it became a major source of hay and cattle fodder to British farmers in the mid-18th century.<ref>Reader's Digest Nature Lover's Library Wild Flowers of Britain, p. 430, published 1988</ref>
Timothy can be confused with meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis) or purple-stem cat's-tail (Phleum phleoides).
DescriptionEdit
Timothy grows to Template:Convert tall, with leaves up to Template:Convert long and Template:Convert broad. The leaves are hairless, rolled rather than folded, and the lower sheaths turn dark brown.
It has no stolons or rhizomes, and no auricles.
The flowerhead is Template:Convert long and Template:Convert broad, with densely packed spikelets. It flowers from June until September. The stamen are pink.
The ligule is short and blunt.
It grows well in heavy soil, and is noted for its resistance to cold and drought, and thus ability to grow in dry upland or poor sandy soils. In pasture it tends to be overwhelmed by more competitive grasses. After cutting it grows slowly.
- Poaceae. - Phleum pratense.JPG
Close-up of flower head showing purple stamen (3 per floret) and feathery stigma (2 per floret)
- Timothy ligule.jpg
Ligule is short and blunt
- Illustration Phleum pratense0.jpg
Showing bulbous base and brown leaf sheaths
- Timothy seeds.jpg
Seeds
SubspeciesEdit
There are two subspecies:
- Phleum pratense subsp. pratense. Larger, to Template:Convert tall. Widespread. Native to the Mediterranean.<ref name="AusGrass2-subsp-pratense">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Phleum pratense subsp. bertolonii. Smaller, to Template:Convert tall. Calcareous grassland.
Cultivation and usesEdit
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Timothy was unintentionally introduced to North America by early settlers, and was first described in 1711 by John Hurd from plants growing in New Hampshire. Hurd named the grass "hurd grass" but a farmer named Timothy Hanson began to promote cultivation of it as a hay about 1720, and the grass has been known by its present name since then. Timothy has now become naturalized throughout most of the US and Canada.
It is commonly grown for cattle feed and, in particular, as hay for horses. It is relatively high in fiber, especially when cut late. It is considered a harsh, coarse grass little relished by livestock if cut earlier. It is considered part of the standard mix for grass hay and provides quality nutrition for horses. Timothy hay is a staple food for domestic pet rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, and degus, often making up the bulk of their diet. Timothy hay is rich in long fiber and its abrasive texture helps to grind down the teeth, keeping both the teeth and jaw in good order.
Some caterpillars use it as a food plant, e.g. the Essex skipper (Thymelicus lineola) and the marbled white (Melanargia galathea). It also grows in roadsides and abandoned fields but generally requires nutrient-rich soils.
Plants persist through the winter. Dead, straw-colored flowering stems may persist, but only for a short time, and are recognized by the distinctive spike-like inflorescence.
Medical usesEdit
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Timothy grass pollen allergen is used to treat hay fever.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Breeding objectives in timothyEdit
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 programs for timothy are accompanied by some difficulties.Template:Cn
Confusion with other speciesEdit
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.<ref>bsbi.org.uk Template:Webarchive; description, retrieved 2010-12-1.</ref>
Purple-stem cat's-tail (Phleum phleoides) prefers lighter soils and grows on chalk downland.
Mountain timothy (Phleum alpinum) grows above Template:Convert.<ref>Jepson Manual - Phleum alpinum</ref> A "wild Timothy" was found to grow in Yosemite at the time of its discovery but may have been a foxtail.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Scribner, F. Lampson, "Grasses of Mountain Meadows and Deer Parks" in Template:Cite book</ref>
Timothy canary grass (Phalaris angusta), another species with a similar cylindrical panicle, is toxic to livestock.
- Timothy awns.jpg
Close-up of flower head showing hornlike spikelets
- Alopecurus pratensis1.JPG
Meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis) spikelet