TIMOTHY:  Phleum pratense L.

	Timothy is a bunchgrass with a shallow, fibrous root system.  It is best adapted to the cool and humid areas of the northeastern United States.  Its usage in Kansas is limited to the eastern most portion of the state, and has steadily declined over the years to the point of only minor importance.  While smooth brome, tall fescue, and orchardgrass have largely replaced timothy in Kansas, it still maintains popularity, particularly for horse hay and pasture.
	Timothy lacks the drought and heat tolerance necessary to make it a long-lived perennial in Kansas.  It thrives on heavy, moisture retentive soils, however, it does not tolerate water-logged soils as well as reed canarygrass, red top, or tall fescue.  Timothy is a relatively noncompetitive grass, and as such, is excellent for use in combination with legumes.  It increases yield and adds ground cover to legume mixtures without depressing legume yield or persistence.
	Timothy is considered a very palatable grass, its forage quality usually ranks higher than tall fescue, reed canarygrass, or orchardgrass, and slightly lower than smooth bromegrass.  In a grass/legume hay mixture, timothy's late maturity is considered an advantage as it is relatively young and tender at harvest.