Where found:

• Very common in pastures, especially dairy pastures.

• A perennial grass.
  
• Tall, hairless, upright, greyish to bluish green and strongly tufted. The sheath is compressed (flattened) and blades are strongly folded and the older blades are harsh.
  
• The seed head is compact or partly spreading and quite distinct from the seed-heads of other grasses.
  
• The root system is extensive, has no stolons (stems which run along the ground and put down roots) and sometimes has short rhizomes (underground stems).
  
• Cocksfoot grows well in summer but little in winter. In pasture it should be kept short and leafy to maintain feed value as cocksfoot which is too clumpy or stemmy is almost unpalatable to stock.
  
• Cocksfoot is usually included as a minor component of permanent pasture for its persistence during summer dry but should not be allowed to dominate pasture as it will reduce clover levels and the digestibility of the pasture overall.
  
• Prefers moist, loamy soils but also tolerates drought, insect attack and poor soil fertility.