This page is about the genus of grasses. Phleum is also the name of a Roman site now in Velsen, Netherlands.

Phleum (catstail or timothy-grass) is a genus of about 15 species of annual and perennial grasses. The genus is native to Europe, Asia and north Africa, with one species (P. alpinum) also in North and South America.

They are tufted grasses growing to 20-150 cm tall, with cylindrical flowerheads with densely packed spikelets.Selected species

• Phleum alpinum – Alpine Catstail or Alpine Timothy
• Phleum arenarium – Sand Catstail
• Phleum boissieri
• Phleum commutatum
• Phleum crypsoides
• Phleum echinatum
• Phleum exaratum (syn. P. graecum)
• Phleum gibbum
• Phleum hirsutum
• Phleum iranicum
• Phleum japonicum
• Phleum montanum
• Phleum paniculatum
• Phleum phleoides – Purple-stem Catstail
• Phleum pratense (syn. P. bertolonii) – Timothy-grass
• Phleum subulatum

Cultivation and uses

References

• Flora Europaea: Phleum
• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Phleum
• USDA Plants Profile: Phleum