| any of several grasses of the genus Arrhenatherum or Danthonia, esp. A. elatius, native to Europe, having a purplish-green flowering panicle. |
| oat grass n.
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oat grass
any of the perennial plants of two genera of grasses, Arrhenatherum and Danthonia (family Poaceae). Approximately six species of tall grasses, native to temperate Europe and Asia, constitute the genus Arrhenatherum. Tall oat grass (A. elatius), which has been introduced into various countries as a pasture grass, grows wild in many areas and is considered a weed, especially A. elatius variety bulbosum, commonly called onion couch for its bulblike basal stems. Most of the more than 100 species of the genus Danthonia are native to temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere. They are important forage grasses in Australia, New Zealand, and South America. Australian species are commonly called wallaby grasses. Poverty oat grass (D. spicata) is a grayish green, mat-forming species and grows on dry, poor soil in many parts of North America.
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