Common name
Darnel
Drake

Derivation
Lolium L., Sp. Pl. 83 (1753); Latin name for darnel (Lolium temulentum) a weed of corn fields.

temulentum- Latin for drunken. Eating of the diseased grain has been long and widely associated with vomiting, staggering and impaired vision.

Published in
Sp. Pl. 1: 83 (1753).

Common synonyms
Lolium arvense With.

Habit
Annual, culms solitary or tufted. Culms erect or decumbent, 30–100 cm tall, rooting from lower nodes. Lateral branches simple or branched. Leaf-sheath auricles absent, or present. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane, 2 mm long. Leaf-blades 6–40 cm long, 3–13 mm wide.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence solid, a spike. Spike bilateral, 8.5–30 cm long, bearing 5–22(–30) fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis semiterete. Spikelet packing adaxial, approximate, 200% of their length apart, regular, 2-rowed.

Spikelets
Spikelets appressed, solitary. Fertile spikelets many flowered, comprising 3–9(–11) fertile florets, with diminished florets at the apex, oblong, laterally compressed, 10–27 mm long, 3–8 mm wide, breaking up at maturity. Spikelets disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 1.7–3.8 mm long.

Glumes
Glume 1 (the lower absent or obscure), persistent, similar to fertile lemma in texture. Upper glume lanceolate or oblong, 10–24 mm long, coriaceous, 5–9-nerved. Upper glume surface smooth or asperulous. Upper glume apex obtuse.

Florets
Fertile lemma elliptic to ovate, laterally compressed, 6–9.4 mm long, chartaceous or coriaceous or indurate, 5–9-nerved. Lemma apex obtuse, muticous or 1-awned. Median (principal) awn stiff, (2–)4.3–17 mm long overall. Palea chartaceous or cartilaginous. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped. Ovary glabrous. Grain oblong, 5–6 mm long. Hilum linear.

Continental Distribution:
Europe, Africa, Temperate Asia, Tropical Asia, Australasia, Pacific, North America, South America, Antarctica.

Australian Distribution:
Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania.

Western Australia: Carnarvon, Irwin, Drummond, Dale, Menzies, Warren, Eyre, Avon. South Australia: Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South-eastern. Queensland: Port Curtis, Burnett, Darling Downs, Moreton, Mitchell, Maranoa. New South Wales: North Coast, Central Coast, South Coast, Northern Tablelands, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, North-Western Slopes, Central-Western Slopes, South-Western Slopes, North-Western Plains, South-Western Plains. Victoria: Riverina, Midlands, Victorian Volcanic Plain, Gippsland Plains, East Gippsland. Tasmania: East Coast.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Pooideae

Notes
Introduced. All states but N.T. Europe. Flowers June–Jan. Fruits Aug.–Jan. There are two forms.

Lolium temulentum L. f. temulentum
N.S.W., Vic., W.A., Qld and S.A. Flowers June–Jan. Fruits Aug.–Jan.

Lolium temulentum L. f. arvense Lilj.
Tas., Vic., W.A., Qld and S.A. Flowers June–Jan. Fruits Aug.–Jan. Previously a weed of cereal crops.