''Vulpia myuros'', the annual fescue, or rat's-tail fescue, is an annual

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

species of the genus ''

Vulpia ''Vulpia'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, native to many countries around the world and naturalized in many of the nations to which it is not native. It is most common in temperate regions. ''Vulpia'' is a part of a group o ...

''. It was probably originally native to Eurasia, but it can now be found nearly worldwide as a

naturalized species Naturalisation (or naturalization) is the ecological phenomenon through which a species, taxon, or population of exotic (as opposed to native) origin integrates into a given ecosystem, becoming capable of reproducing and growing in it, and procee ...

. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

it forms dense, even swards of fine, hair-like stems in recently disturbed habitats. It is often eventually displaced by

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

grasses.

Invasive species

''Vulpia myuros'' is considered a

noxious weed A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or liv ...

and

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

in places where it is not native, especially in areas with a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

.US Forest Service Fire Ecology
/ref> For example, it is widespread in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, where it is now a dominant species in many types of grassy habitat.

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfileGrass Manual TreatmentWashington Burke MuseumPhoto gallery
Pooideae Grasses of Asia Grasses of Europe Flora of Western Asia Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Pooideae-stub