Elymus canadensis L.
Canada wildrye
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Canada wildrye
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
Species Information
General:
Perennial, loosely tufted grass from fibrous roots, rarely from short rhizomes; stems 60-150 cm tall, sometimes decumbent at the base.
Leaves:
Sheaths smooth to rough or fine-hairy, often reddish-brown; blades 4-15 mm wide, flat to somewhat in-rolled, smooth to rough, rarely hairy, ear-shaped lobes at the leaf-bases 1.5-4 mm long, brown or purplish-black; ligules membranous, up to 1 (2) mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a spike 6-30 cm long, 3-7 cm wide, usually nodding, with 1 to 3 (5) spikelets per node; spikelets 12-20 mm long, with 3 to 6 florets; glumes 6-13 mm long, awned, the awns 6-25 mm long, the awns straight or curving; lemmas 8-15 mm long, smooth or hairy throughout, awned, the awns (10) 15-40 (50) mm long, strongly curving outward; anthers 2-3.5 mm long.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Late Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Spring
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Elymus canadensis
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1552 | 365 | 2130 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
28 | 0 | 93 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
155 | 40 | 340 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
2 | 1 | 6 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
46 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ESSF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(1), BAFA(2), BG(3), BWBS(1), ESSF(26), ICH(5), IDF(1), MS(2), PP(1), SBS(1), SWB(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist to dry sandy riverbars and sandy or gravelly meadows in the steppe and montane zones; infrequent in SC and SE BC; N to S AK and NT, E to NB and NS and S to ME, MA, PA, SC, TN, AR, TX, NM, AZ and CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Elymus brachystachys Scribn. & C.R. Ball
Elymus canadensis var. brachystachys (Scribn. & C.R. Ball) Farw.
Elymus canadensis var. hirsutus (Farw.) Dorn
Elymus canadensis var. interruptus (Buckley) Church
Elymus canadensis var. robustus (Scribn. & J.G. Sm.) Mack. & Bush
Elymus crescendus L.C. Wheeler
Elymus philadelphicus L.
Elymus philadelphicus var. hirsutus Farw.
Elymus robustus Scribn. & J.G. Sm.