Timothy - Phleum pratense
A tall grass to 150 cm, with dense cylindrical panicles to 15 cm (sometimes more). The individual spikelets have two points. Named after American farmer and agriculturalist Timothy Hanson
Meadow Foxtail is superficially similar
Inflorescence a ‘pointing finger’ spike. The two glumes of each floret each narrow to a pointed apex.
Roadsides, meadows, and other grasslands.
June to August.
Perennial.
Common throughout Britain.
Very common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 578 of the 617 tetrads.
Graham Calow
Nailstone, colliery land reclamation area
18 June 2019
David Nicholls
Ratby
19 June 2014
Melinda Bell
Heather, QEDJWood
14 June 2021
Andy's Rutland
Empingham garden
16 June 2022
Barbara Cooper
Long Clawson
06 July 2012
Barbara Cooper
Long Clawson
13 June 2017
detail of spikelets
David Nicholls
Watermead Country Park
27 September 2013
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Species profile
- Common names
- Timothy, Timothy Grass
- Species group:
- flowering plant
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Poales
- Family:
- Poaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 263
- First record:
- 01/07/1998 (John Mousley)
- Last record:
- 14/08/2025 (Nicholls, David)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
10km squares with records
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Latest images
Latest records
Graham Calow
Wykin
12 June 2015
Graham Calow
Higham on the Hill
09 July 2015
Graham Calow
Higham on the Hill
09 July 2015
David Nicholls
Watermead Country Park
27 September 2013
Graham Calow
Croft Pasture
14 July 2014
individual spikelets have two points.
Graham Calow
Basin Bridge Lane, Wykin
31 July 2015
David Nicholls
North Kilworth, Millennium Green
15 June 2023
David Nicholls
Watermead Country Park
27 September 2013
Graham Calow
Broughton Astley
24 June 2011
Alan Semper
Melton Country Park
17 August 2013
HAPeacock
Gilroes Cemetery Extension
19 June 2012 Old Fosse Sapcote SP 5035 9303 (taken 4.8.2008).JPG)
Graham Calow
Sapcote
04 August 2008
David Nicholls
Croft Hill
29 September 2011
HAPeacock
Billa Barra
21 July 2012
Graham Calow
Sapcote
29 June 2013
 Old Fosse Sapcote SP 5035 9303 (taken 4.8.2008).JPG)
%20ergots%20on%20Phleum%20pratense%20grass%20Field%20near%20Donkey%20Lane%20%20Sapcote%20SP%204860%209293%20(taken%2030.8.2009).JPG)
Ergot
Ergot (Claviceps purpurea) is a violet-black spindle-shaped structure longitudinally furrowed, up to 1cm long, and formed in the inflorescences of grasses. The fungal body is described as an ergot kernel.
Choke
Epichloe typhina fungus galls the stems of various grasses, the gall often having a rather tubular appearance. It is white in the early stages, yellowing when mature. On various grasses including many of our most common species including Sweet Vernal-grass, False Oat-grass, Cock's-foot, Perennial Rye-grass, Wood Millet, Timothy and Rough Meadow-grass.