Common Name: Cock's Foot

General Information

Dactylis glomerata is a robust, clump-forming, evergreen grass with erect stems that can be 20 - 120cm tall
The plant is often grown for purposes such as soil restoration and stabilization, it is also a potentially good source of biomass. It is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine.
Dactylis glomerata is widely grown as a pasture grass and for soil improvement. It has become naturalized in many places and has often spread or been spread widely within those countries. It become an aggressive and persistent low-growing grass in many places, where it can impede the growth and regeneration of indigenous ground flora, with smaller species the most susceptible to the competition. It has been deemed invasive in some areas, particularly on Island habitats[]..

Known Hazards

This plant is an important cause of hayfever[].

Botanical References

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Range

Macaronesia, the Mediterranean region and almost throughout temperate Eurasia

Habitat

Meadows, waste places, by roads and on downs[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Wind
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Dactylis glomerata has a large climatic range, succeeding both in areas with very hot summers and in areas with cold winters and heavy frosts. It prefers an annual temperature range from 4.3 - 23.8°c, and is known to withstand temperatures down to around -25°c when dormant[, ]. Plants prefer a mean annual precipitation in the range of 480 - 750mm, but will tolerate 310 - 1760mm[].
Grows best in a sunny position, but also tolerates shade well - for example under the shade of trees in old orchards[, , , ]. Succeeds in most good soils and also tolerates poor, dry soils[, ]. Whilst one report says that the plant refers a light well-drained soil, and does not thrive on heavy or poorly drained soils[], another says that it grows on almost any type of soil, but thrives best on heavier types, such as clays and clay loams[]. Succeeds in soils with a pH in the range of 4.5 to 8.2[]. A drought-resistant plant, it will withstand high temperatures. Prefers areas with 480-750 mm annual rainfall, but will produce on rather poor dry soils[].
Plants are hardy in all parts of Britain, though they are less winter-hardy than Phleum pratense or Bromus inermis and do not extend as far north in Europe[].
A very variable plant[]. There are both diploid and triploid forms[].
Numerous strains have been developed, some coarse and stemmy, others good for hay and early grazing. Local ecotypes in the Mediterranean region are adapted to long hot dry summers. In Europe two types have been developed, one for pasture and one for hay. Pasture types produce more basal leaves and generally are more spreading than the hay types. Selections made in Canada, Sweden and Finland are improved for winter hardiness. Improved strains are more leafy, persistent and later flowering than unimproved commercial types[].
An important food plant for the caterpillars of several lepidoptera species[].
The plant is occasionally grown for lawns and is particularly well adapted for growing under shade[]. However, this species does not make a good lawn grass because it is too coarse[].

Edible Uses

The inner part of young shoots is sometimes eaten as a child's snack[].

Medicinal

Reported to be oestrogenic. the plant is a folk remedy for treating tumours, kidney and bladder ailments[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Plants form impenetrably dense clumps and when planted close together in drifts make an excellent ground cover[].
Having a deep root system, the plant is also useful for checking soil erosion and restoring soil fertility[, ]. It is widely recommended and used for a variety of rehabilitation applications. It is recommended for planting with a mixture of grasses and legumes to reduce erosion after devegetation by fire. The plant often shows early success, eventually being replaced by native vegetation or other seeded species[].

Other Uses

The plant can be grown for biomass, annual productivity ranges from 2 to 37 tonnes per hectare[]. If soil fertility is low, a large portion of the total production occurs in the spring, but if the soil is highly fertile, production is well distributed throughout the growing season[].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in a cold frame in the spring and do not allow the compost to dry out[]. Germination should take place within three weeks. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
There is between 725,000 and 1,450,000 seeds per kilo[]. If you have sufficient seed it can be sown outdoors in situ in the spring.
Division in spring[]. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.