Dactylis glomerata

Dactylis glomerata occurs from sea level in the north of its range, to as high as 4,000 metres in elevation in the south of its range in Pakistan. It is widely used for hay and forage. 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. ==Description==

Cock's-foot grows in dense perennial tussocks to tall, with grey-green leaves long and up to broad, and a distinctive tufted triangular flowerhead long, which may be either green or red- to purple-tinged (usually green in shade, redder in full sun), turning pale grey-brown at seed maturity. The spikelets are long, typically containing two to five flowers. It has a characteristic flattened stem base which distinguishes it from many other grasses. ==Taxonomy==

Dactylis glomerata is treated as the sole species in the genus Dactylis by some authors, It is commonly divided into several regional subspecies, particularly by those authors accepting only the single species. Tetraploid forms are larger and coarser than diploid forms. ==Cultivation and 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. 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. == Butterfly foodplant ==

The caterpillars of many butterfly species feed on cock's foot, including: • Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina) • Wall brown (Lasiommata megera) • Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) • Large skipper (Ochlodes venata) • Essex skipper (Thymelicus lineola) • Small skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris) • Zabulon skipper (Poanes zabulon) • Speckled wood (Pararge aegeria) == Popular culture ==

Doom metal band Candlemass named their 1998 studio album after the Dactylis glomerata. ==References==