Elymus glaucus
Encyclopedia
Elymus glaucus is a species of wild rye
known by the common name blue wild rye. This grass is native to North America from Alaska
to New York
to northern Mexico. It is a common and widespread species of wild rye.
s, the stems may form stolon
s. It has flat leaves each up to a centimeter wide at the base and rapidly narrowing to a point.
The tip of the stem is occupied by a narrow, pointed inflorescence
many centimeters long made up of a few spikelets
. Each spikelet is one to one and a half centimeters long, not counting an awn which may be two or three centimeters in length. Common native grass associates in the far west coastal prairie
s are Danthonia californica
, Deschampsia caespitosa, Festuca idahoensis
and Nassella pulchra
.
Elymus
In Greek and Roman mythology, Elymus was the mythical ancestor of the Elymians, natives of Sicily. Elymus was a Trojan, a natural son of Anchises and a brother of Eryx....
known by the common name blue wild rye. This grass is native to North America from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to northern Mexico. It is a common and widespread species of wild rye.
Description
This is a perennial bunch grass growing small, narrow tufts of several erect stems which exceed 50 cm in height and may approach 150 cm (up to 5'). It has a thick, fibrous root system, sometimes with rhizomeRhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
s, the stems may form stolon
Stolon
In biology, stolons are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external skeletons.-In botany:...
s. It has flat leaves each up to a centimeter wide at the base and rapidly narrowing to a point.
The tip of the stem is occupied by a narrow, pointed inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
many centimeters long made up of a few spikelets
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
. Each spikelet is one to one and a half centimeters long, not counting an awn which may be two or three centimeters in length. Common native grass associates in the far west coastal prairie
Coastal prairie
Coastal prairie may refer to either:* The California coastal prairie, a plant community found along the coasts of California and Oregon* The Western Gulf coastal grasslands of Louisiana, Texas, and Tamaulipas...
s are Danthonia californica
Danthonia californica
Danthonia californica is a species of grass known by the common name California oatgrass. This plant is native to two separate regions of the Americas, western North America from California to Saskatchewan, and Chile.-Description:...
, Deschampsia caespitosa, Festuca idahoensis
Festuca idahoensis
Festuca idahoensis is a species of grass known by the common names Idaho fescue and blue bunchgrass. It is native to western North America, where it is widespread and common...
and Nassella pulchra
Nassella pulchra
Nassella pulchra is a species of grass known by the common name purple needlegrass. It is native to California, where it occurs throughout the coastal hills, valleys, and mountain ranges, as well as the Sacramento Valley and parts of the Sierra Nevada foothills, and Baja California.It grows in many...
.