Cock's-foot

Appearance

Cock's-foot grows in dense perennial tussocks to 20–140 centimetres tall, with grey-green leaves 20–50 cm long and up to 1.5 cm broad, and a distinctive tufted triangular flowerhead 10–15 cm long, which may be either green or red- to purple-tinged, turning pale grey-brown at seed maturity. The spikelets are 5–9 mm long, typically containing two to five flowers. It has a characteristic flattened stem base which distinguishes it from many other grasses.

It flowers from June to September.

Distribution

"Dactylis glomerata" occurs from sea level in the north of its range, to as high as 4,000 meters in altitude in the south of its range in Pakistan. It is widely used for hay and as a forage grass.

It is a principal species in the widespread National Vegetation Classification habitat community MG1 in the United Kingdom, and so can be found with "Arrhenatherum elatius".

It can be found in meadows, pasture, roadsides, and rough grassland.

It has been introduced into North America, New Zealand and Australia, and is now widely naturalised. In some areas, it has become an invasive species.

Food

The caterpillars of many butterfly species feed on cock's foot, including:
⤷  Meadow brown
⤷  Wall brown
⤷  Gatekeeper
⤷  Large skipper
⤷  Essex skipper
⤷  Small skipper
⤷  Zabulon skipper
⤷  Speckled wood

Uses

Cock's-foot is widely used as a hay grass and for pastures because of its high yields and sugar content, which makes it sweeter than most other temperate grasses. In dry areas as in much of Australia, Mediterranean subspecies such as subsp. "hispanica" are preferred for their greater drought tolerance. It requires careful grazing management; if it is undergrazed it becomes coarse and unpalatable.

In some areas to which it has been introduced, cock's-foot has become an invasive weed, notably some areas of the eastern United States.

As with other grasses, the pollen can cause allergic rhinitis in some people.

The grass is popularly grown to satisfy the craving of domestic cats to chew grass, hence its colloquial name cat grass.

The seeds were first collected by Rogers Parker in Hertfordshire; this was then developed by the agricultural reformer Coke of Norfolk. Parker's estate, Munden, near Bricket Wood, was inherited by the botanist George Hibbert.