Timothy (English spelling) Phleum pratense; timothy grass

Japanese: チモシー（英語表記）Phleum pratense; timothy grass

A perennial grass of the grass family, native to Europe. It is famous as a pasture grass and is widely cultivated in America and other livestock-raising countries around the world. Also called Timothymus maximus, it was imported to Japan in the early Meiji period and has become naturalized in various places near pastures. The stem grows upright from a thick, short rhizome, reaching a height of 50-100 cm. The leaves are long, linear, and sharply pointed, 15-60 cm long and 6-10 mm wide. In summer, a long, cylindrical flower spike appears at the end of the stem, 5-15 cm long, and densely bears pale green spikelets. The spikelets are oblong, 3-4 mm long, and almost stalkless. The two outer glumes are the same shape and size, folded in half along the central vein, and the end of the vein forms a thick awn about 1 mm long. Many seeds are sown in a water basin and allowed to germinate, and the bright green, thread-like sprouts can be admired. In this case, it is also called Kinuitosou.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

イネ科の多年草で，ヨーロッパ原産。牧草として有名で，アメリカをはじめ世界の牧畜国で広く栽培されている。オオアワガエリとも呼ばれ，日本には明治初期に輸入され，牧場近くの各地に帰化している。茎は太く短い根茎から直立し，高さ 50～100cm。葉は細長い線形で鋭くとがり，長さ 15～60cm，幅6～10mm。夏，茎の先に細長い円柱形で長さ5～15cmの花穂を出し，淡緑色の小穂を密につける。小穂は長楕円形で長さ3～4mm，ほとんど柄がない。外側の2枚の包穎は同形同大，中央脈に沿って2つ折りとなり，脈の先は長さ 1mm内外の太い芒 (のぎ) となる。水盤に多数の種子をまいて発芽させ，鮮緑色で糸のような芽生えを観賞することがあり，そのときはキヌイトソウとも呼ばれる。

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