• Festuca
• Lolium
• Vulpia
• Cynosurus
• Puccinellia
• Briza
• Poa
• Dactylis
• Catapodium
• Parapholis
• Glyceria
• Arrhenatherum
• Trisetum
• Deschampsia
• Holcus
• Aira
• Anthoxanthum
• Phalaris
• Agrostis
• Alopecurus
• Phleum
• Bromus
• Bromopsis
• Anisantha
• Elytrigia
• Leymus
• Hordeum
• Triticum
• Phragmites
• Panicum
• Echinochloa
• Setaria

Festuca rubra

Red Fescue Under recorded, present in some commercial grass-seed mixtures.

Lolium perenne

Perennial Rye-grass Common in lawns and on roadside-verges everywhere.

Vulpia bromoides

Squirreltail Fescue This grass is always found in bare, well-drained situations. It is usually, but not always, associated with old railway lines and sidings where it may be very abundant.

Cynosurus cristatus

Crested Dog's-tail Most common on relics of unimproved grassland.

Puccinellia distans

Reflexed Saltmarsh-grass All specimens collected have been assigned to this species rather than P. maritima. Closer examination may reveal both. It is found along Humber shore and in some places on the River Hull flood banks in the north of the city. Also in the salt spray zone along Clough Road and Hedon Road.

Briza media

Quaking-grass The only site discovered so far is on Priory Road fields, outside the city limits.

Poa annua

Annual Meadow-grass Common at roadsides and in bare places.

Poa trivialis

Rough Meadow-grass Common in suitable grassy places. Probably present in many other tetrads but mowing makes identification difficult.

Poa pratensis

Smooth Meadow-grass I have only managed to identify this species when it is in flower. It certainly seems to be less common than P. trivialis but it is certainly under-recorded.

Poa nemoralis

Wood Meadow-grass A single site - the wooded margin of a school playing field to the south of Inglemire Lane. This grass is shade-tolerant and was often planted under trees.

Dactylis glomerata

Cock's-foot Very common in most grassy places.

Catapodium rigidum

Fern-grass Not a very common grass but it occurs sporadically in dry, open places. Typical sites are railway balast and even roadsides. It is usually only a few centimetres tall but a very lush specimen, almost 20cm high, was seen at the southern end of Soutcoates Lane, near the prison (12J).

Parapholis strigosa

Hard-grass The specimen from the River Hull near Ennerdale was identified by F E Crackles.

Glyceria maxima

Reed Sweet-grass Locally dominant in wet places such as the margins of the main land drains and in the spring-fed areas of Snuff Mill and Priory Road fields (03K).

Glyceria fluitans

Floating Sweet-grass Identification reasonably certain but I am open to correction! In the small drain west of County Road South (03Q) and very abundant in the Old Main Drain east of Cumbrian Way (13C).

Glyceria sp.

Sweet Grass One of the smaller species.

Arrhenatherum elatius

False Oat-grass Very common in grassy places and hedge bottoms.

Trisetum flavescens

Yellow Oat-grass Mainly found in relics of old grassland.

Deschampsia cespitosa

Tufted Hair-grasses Common on rough grassland relics, especially in damp places.

Holcus lanatus

Yorkshire-fog Common in a wide variety of habitats.

Aira caryophyllea

Silver Hair-grass Always associated with railway balast and embankments.

Anthoxanthum odoratum

Sweet Vernal Grass In relics of unimproved grassland. A single plant was found on a newly created shrubbery, Mecca Bingo, Clough road.

Phalaris arundinacea

Reed Canary-grass Quite common in damp places and on the sites of filled-in land drains.

Phalaris canariensis

Canary-grass Always in small quantity, usually at the roadside. Alien, usually from bird seed.

Agrostis capillaris

Common Bent A very common constituent of the grassland relics.

Agrostis stolonifera

Creeping Bent Roadsides and grassy places. Probably more widespread than the above distribution data would suggest, I find it hard to distinguish this grass from A. canina in many circumstances.

Agrostis canina

Velvet Bent Probably more widespread than above would indicate.

Alopecurus pratensis

Meadow Foxtail A common constituent of the old grassland relics found throughout the outskirts of Hull.

Alopecurus geniculatus

Marsh Foxtail In damp places, usually a relic.

Alopecurus myosuroides

Black-grass Occurs as a casual in waste places. The 03B record is for an occurrence on a newly constructed shrubbery, presumably made with imported agricultural top- soil.

Phleum pratense

Timothy Common in grassy places.

Phleum bertolonii

Smaller Cat's-tail Usually in dryer places than P. pratense.

Bromus hordeaceus hordeaceus

Soft Brome Locally abundant in a variety of grassy habitats.

Bromopsis ramosa

Hairy-brome In the hedge near Snuff Mill Lane.

Anisantha sterilis

Barren Brome In hedge bottoms and on waste ground everywhere.

Elytrigia repens

Common Couch A common constituent of grassland relics. Also found commonly as persistant garden weed.

Leymus arenarius

Lyme-grass So far only seen on the saltmarsh at the south west of the city, south of the Clive Sullivan Way.

Hordeum murinum

Wall Barley A very common grass at roadsides and on waste ground throughout the city.

Hordeum secalinum

Meadow Barley This grass was found to be more widespread than was anticipated. It is usually a good indicator of relics of unimproved neutral grassland but a notable exception was the southern verge of Hedon Road, at the eastern boundary of the city, where it was found to be abundant.

Triticum aestivum

Wheat Probably overlooked or ignored but does occur on imported soil eg Clough Road.

Phragmites australis

Common Reed Widespread and often abundant. Usually associated with the system of ditches and land-drains but persisting even after the original drain has been culverted or filled-in.

Panicum miliaceum

Millet Rather abundant in the vicinity of Albert Dock during 1997.

Echinochloa crusgalli

Cockspur This bird-seed alien was rather common around Albert Dock in 1997.

Setaria pumila

Yellow Bristle-grass I am guilty of accidentally introducing this into my garden. Bird seed alien.

Setaria viridis

Green Bristle-grass Identification needs confirmation. Common around Albert Dock.

R Middleton, r.middleton@geo.hull.ac.uk, last updated 14 September 1997