A plant, Phleum pratense, of the order Cyperales, long the most important hay grass for the cooler temperate humid regions. It is easily established and managed, produces seed abundantly, and grows well in mixtures with alfalfa and clover. It is a short-lived perennial, makes a loose sod, and has moderately leafy stems 2–4 ft (0.6–1.2 m) tall and a dense cylindrical inflorescence (see illus.). Timothy responds to fertile soils with high yield and nutritive content. Cutting promptly after heading improves the feed quality. Timothy-legume mixtures still predominate in hay and pasture seedings for crop rotations in the northern half of the United States, but orchard grass and bromegrass have increasingly replaced timothy in such mixtures in many areas.