Timothy
Phleum pratense
Family: Poaceae or Gramineae
What it is like
Phleum pratense is a PERENNIAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5. It is in flower in July. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 1
Where it is found
Common in meadows throughout Britain, though rare in the north.
Britain.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 1
Stored sterile timothy extracts arrested the growth of Sarcoma 45 and other tumour types.
Cancer: Used in the treatment of cancer.
Other
Rating: 0
The stems have been used to make hair brushes. The plant can yield up to 15 tonnes of plant material per hectare and is a potential source of biomass.
Biomass: Provides a large quantity of plant material that can be converted into fuel etc.
Fodder: Food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them) rather than forage for themselves.
Hair: Plants used as hair shampoos, tonics, to treat balding etc.
Fodder: Pasture: Enclosed tracts of farmland mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs (non-grass herbaceous plants).
Management: Hay: Cut to the ground and harvested annually. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Staple Crop: Balanced carb: (0-15 percent protein, 0-15 percent oil, with at least one over 5 percent). The carbohydrates are from either starch or sugar. Annuals include maize, wheat, rice, and potato. Perennials include chestnuts, carob, perennial fruits, nuts, cereals, pseudocereals, woody pods, and acorns.
Fodder: Pasture: Enclosed tracts of farmland mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs (non-grass herbaceous plants).
Management: Hay: Cut to the ground and harvested annually. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Staple Crop: Balanced carb: (0-15 percent protein, 0-15 percent oil, with at least one over 5 percent). The carbohydrates are from either starch or sugar. Annuals include maize, wheat, rice, and potato. Perennials include chestnuts, carob, perennial fruits, nuts, cereals, pseudocereals, woody pods, and acorns.
Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
An easily grown plant, it succeeds in a sunny position in any ordinary soil. The plant is not drought tolerant. Timothy grass is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation in the range of 35 to 176cm, an annual temperature range of 4.4 to 18.6°C, and a pH of 4.5 to 7.8. The plant is best adapted to a cool, humid, temperate climate, growing best on rather heavy, deep and moist or even wet soils. Yields are lower on light dry soils and sands. The optimum temperature for growth is 18.3° - 21.6°C varying with day/night temperatures of 15°/10°C and 21°/15°C. Timothy grass is a very variable species that is commonly grown as a hay grass. Several named forms have been develped. A short-lived perennial it is a common cause of hayfever. An attractive addition to the wild flower meadow, the inflorescence dries and dyes well so is used in dried flower displays.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in situ, only just covering the seed. If seed is in short supply, it can be surface sown in a pot in a cold frame. Ensure the pot does not dry out. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant out in the summer. Division in spring.
Best place to grow: Meadow;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 4-8
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Two allergens producing strong skin reactions and a haemaglutinating action have been isolated from timothy pollen. The pollen contains several flavonol-glycosides, among them dactylin (isorhamnetin-31,4-diglucoside).