Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially as hay or silage. While the term forage has a broad definition, the term forage crop is used to define crops, annual or biennial, which are grown to be utilized by grazing or harvesting as a whole crop. Common forages Grasses Grass forages include: Agrostis spp. – bentgrasses Agrostis capillaris – common bentgrass Agrostis stolonifera – creeping bentgrass Andropogon hallii – sand bluestem Arrhenatherum elatius – false oat-grass Bothriochloa bladhii – Australian bluestem Bothriochloa pertusa – hurricane grass Brachiaria decumbens – Surinam grass Brachiaria humidicola – koronivia grass Bromus spp. – bromegrasses Cenchrus ciliaris – buffelgrass Chloris gayana – Rhodes grass Cynodon dactylon – bermudagrass Dactylis glomerata – orchard grass Echinochloa pyramidalis – antelope grass Entolasia imbricata – bungoma grass Festuca spp. – fescues Festuca arundinacea – tall fescue Festuca pratensis – meadow fescue Festuca rubra – red fescue Heteropogon contortus – black spear grass Hymenachne amplexicaulis – West Indian marsh grass Hyparrhenia rufa – jaragua Leersia hexandra – southern cutgrass Lolium spp. – ryegrasses Lolium multiflorum – Italian ryegrass Lolium perenne – perennial ryegrass Megathyrsus maximus – Guinea grass Melinis minutiflora – molasses grass Paspalum conjugatum – carabao grass Paspalum dilatatum – dallisgrass Phalaris arundinacea – reed canarygrass Phleum pratense – timothy Poa spp. – bluegrasses, meadow-grasses Poa arachnifera – Texas bluegrass Poa pratensis – Kentucky bluegrass Poa trivialis – rough bluegrass Setaria sphacelata – African bristlegrass Themeda triandra – kangaroo grass Thinopyrum intermedium – intermediate wheatgrass Herbaceous legumes Herbaceous legume forages include: Arachis pintoi – pinto peanut Astragalus cicer – cicer milkvetch Chamaecrista rotundifolia – roundleaf sensitive pea Clitoria ternatea – butterfly-pea Kummerowia – annual lespedezas Kummerowia stipulacea – Korean clover, Korean lespedeza Kummerowia striata – Japanese clover, common lespedeza Lotus corniculatus – bird's-foot trefoil Macroptilium atropurpureum – purple bush-bean Macroptilium bracteatum – burgundy bean Medicago spp. – medics Medicago sativa – alfalfa, lucerne Medicago truncatula – barrel medic Melilotus spp. – sweetclovers Neonotonia wightii – perennial soybean Onobrychis viciifolia – common sainfoin Stylosanthes spp. – stylo Stylosanthes humilis – Townsville stylo Stylosanthes scabra – shrubby stylo Trifolium spp. – clovers Trifolium hybridum