Common name: Stiff Ryegrass
Lolium loliaceum (Bory & Chaub.) Hand.-Mazz. APNI* 
Description: Caespitose annual to 0.3 m high; sheaths becoming loose with age.
Leaves with sheath glabrous; ligule membranous, < 1 mm long, obtuse; auricles to 2 mm long, glabrous; blade rolled or folded when dry, 5–15 cm long, sometimes lower surface glabrous.
Inflorescence a cylindrical spike, 5–16 cm long, erect, often curved; rachis 1–2 mm diam., thickened, rigid, stout, glabrous. Spikelets 7–13 mm long, c. 1.5 mm wide, embedded in rachis; florets 3–7. Lower glume only on terminal spikelet; upper subequal to spikelet, 7–13 mm long, c. 1.5 mm wide, thickened. Lemmas 4–6 mm long, 5-nerved, scabrous, glabrous; apex translucent, acute or subulate or mucronate or with a terminal awn 1–2 mm long, all types can occur within 1 inflorescence. Palea subequal to lemma.
Flowering: spring.
Distribution and occurrence: Uncommon weed of roadsides and crops. Native of Medit. region.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *CWS, *SWS, *NWP, *SWP, *LHI
Other Australian states: *Vic. *Tas. *W.A. *S.A.
Text by S. W. L. Jacobs & K. L. McClay
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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