Elymus trachycaulus (Link) Gould ex Shinners subsp. trachycaulus
slender wheatgrass
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
slender wheatgrass
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Map
Distribution of Elymus trachycaulus subsp. trachycaulus
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend
Species Information
General:
Perennial, tufted grass from fibrous roots, sometimes with short rhizomes; stems 30-120 cm tall, erect, the nodes exposed, smooth.
Leaves:
Sheaths smooth or sometimes hairy; blades 2-5 mm wide, flat to in-rolled, somewhat concentrated around the base of the stems, ear-shaped lobes lacking at the leaf-bases or if present, to 0.5 mm long; ligules up to 0.5 mm long, blunt, entire.
Flowers:
Inflorescence spikelike, 4-25 cm long, 4-10 mm wide, with 1 spikelet per node; spikelets 9-16 mm long, 2 times as long as the internodes, with 3 to 5 (7) florets; glumes unequal, 6-12 mm long, 3/4 to as long as the lemmas, the tips pointed or shortly awned; lemmas 6-13 mm long, smooth near the base and rough above, the tips pointed to awned, the awns up to 40 mm long; anthers 0.8-3 mm long.
Notes:
Two subspecies are recognized in BC:
1. Lemmas awned, the awns 15-40 mm long, longer than the bodies................. ssp. subsecundus (Link) A. & D. Love
1. Lemmas unawned or awned, the awns less than 13 mm long, shorter than the bodies................ ssp. trachycaulus.
The hybrid Elymus x macounii Vasey (Elyhordeum x macounii [Vasey] Barkw. & D. R. Dewey, Elymordeum x macounii [Vasey] Barkw.) is sporadic in BC. It is mainly a hybrid between E. trachycaulus and Hordeum jubatum.
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 from Spring to Summer
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Elymus trachycaulus ssp. trachycaulus
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) |
1204 | 170 | 2550 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
23 | 0 | 92 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
196 | 0 | 352 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 0 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
361 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
SBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(28), BAFA(6), BG(3), BWBS(41), ESSF(31), ICH(10), IDF(63), MH(5), MS(16), PP(3), SBPS(53), SBS(68), SWB(12) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Mesic to dry grasslands, meadows, forest openings and rocky ridges and slopes in all vegetation zones; spp. subsecundus - frequent in S BC, less frequent northward; ssp. trachycaulus - common throughout BC; N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to ME, MA, PA, NC, IN, MO, TX, NM, AZ, MX and CA.Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Agropyron brevifolium Scribn.
Agropyron caninum
Agropyron caninum subsp. majus (Vasey) C.L. Hitchc.
Agropyron caninum subsp. majus
Agropyron caninum var. andinum (Scribn. & J.G. Sm.) C.L. Hitchc.
Agropyron caninum var. hornemannii (Koch) Pease & Moore
Agropyron caninum var. mitchellii Welsh
Agropyron novae-angliae
Agropyron pauciflorum (Schwein.) Hitchc. ex Silveus
Agropyron pauciflorum subsp. majus (Vasey) Melderis
Agropyron pauciflorum subsp. novae-angliae (Scribn.) Melderis
Agropyron pauciflorum subsp. teslinense (Porsild & Senn) Melderis
Agropyron pauciflorum var. novae-angliae (Scribn.) Roy L. Taylor & MacBryde
Agropyron pauciflorum var. pauciflorum
Agropyron scribneri
Agropyron subsecundum var. andinum (Scribn. & J.G. Sm.) A.S. Hitchc.
Agropyron tenerum Vasey
Agropyron teslinense A.E. Porsild & Senn
Agropyron trachycaulum (Link) Malte ex H.F. Lewis
Agropyron trachycaulum var. majus (Vasey) Fern.
Agropyron trachycaulum var. novae-angliae (Scribn.) Fern.
Agropyron violaceum subsp. andinum (Scribn. & J.G. Sm.) Melderis
Agropyron violaceum var. andinum Scribn. & J.G. Sm.
Elymus donianus subsp. virescens (Lange) A. L÷ve & D. L÷ve
Elymus pauciflorus (Schwein.) Gould, non Lam.
Elymus trachycaulus subsp. andinus (Scribn. & J.G. Sm.) A.& D. L÷ve
Elymus trachycaulus subsp. novae-angliae (Scribn.) Tzvelev
Elymus trachycaulus subsp. teslinensis (Porsild & Senn) A. L÷ve
Elymus trachycaulus var. andinus (Scribn. & J.G. Sm.) Dorn
Elymus trachycaulus var. majus (Vasey) Beetle
Roegneria pauciflora (Schwein.) Hyl.
Roegneria trachycaula (Link) Nevski
Triticum trachycaulum Link