359 Phleum pratense L.

This widely cultivated species may be considered to originate from Europe (except extreme N) and adjacent parts of Africa and Asia. From there it has been spread as a fadder grass northwards in Europe and to several parts of the world (S. Africa, E. Asia, N. and S. America, Australia, New Zealand), where it has easily become naturalized. The present distribution is circumpolar (Hultén, Circumpol. I, p. 202 and map 191). In C. and S. Europe and adjacent parts of Africa and Asia subsp. nodosum (L.) Trab. (syn.: subsp. bertolonii [DC.] Bornm.) also occurs. It has been introduced into N. America.