Yorkshire Fog

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Yorkshire Fog

Habitus

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Liliopsida
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Genus:	Holcus
Species:	H. lanatus

Binomial name

Holcus lanatus
L.

Inflorescence

Yorkshire Fog (Holcus lanatus) is a grass. It is a common weed in crops and is a hardy pasture grass. It is native to Europe.

Yorkshire fog has velvety grey-green leaves which gives its common name (perhaps alluding to the fogs of Yorkshire). The shoots are round. The base of the shoots are white with pink stripes or veins. The inflorescence is robust and often tinged purple. Yorkshire fog produces a large amount of seed and is a rapid coloniser of disturbed ground. It prefers wetter ground, often seen around drainage ditches.

In a survey of weed seed contamination in cereal seed in 1970, it was found in 1% of samples. All of this was home saved seed. It is a significant pest weed in Australia, as it is a winter growing grass (C3 carbon fixation) and survives droughts and hot summers as seed. It is distasteful to stock unless young and not much else is available.

Yorkshire fog is an indicator of poor soil, too low stocking or poor drainage. It can be controlled by increasing available potassium and phosphorus, increasing stocking rate and improved drainage.

Yorkshire fog in its natural habitat is a food source for the Speckled Wood, Wall and especially Small Skipper butterflies. It is rarely utilized by the Essex Skipper.