Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Section: Common Name: Scientific Name: Family:
Account for Canada Wild-rye - Elymus canadensis var. canadensis   L.
Members of Poaceae:
Members of Elymus with account distribution info or public map:
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Section 5 » Family Poaceae
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AuthorL.
DistributionMountains only; recorded up to 1500 feet (or meters? - the specimen label simply says "1500").

N.S. to Yukon, south to NC, TX, AZ.
AbundanceSee the full species account. For some odd reason, the NCNHP has placed this taxon on a Watch List (W3) for questionable taxonomy.
HabitatRiverside scour zones and banks, montane hardwood-pine slopes.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting July-September.
IdentificationAt 3-4.5 feet tall, this wild-rye is more robust than most of our other species. Its inflorescence usually arches or nods (as does E. riparius), and the awns curve outwards (not curved in E. riparius).
Taxonomic CommentsRyegrasses or Wild-ryes (genus Elymus) are noted by their evenly spaced leaves and elongate, terminal inflorescence that recall cultivated rye or wheat. Each floret produces several long, skinny awns (shortest in E. virginicus sensu stricto). Identification of some species requires a dissecting scope or at least a 10x handlens.
Other Common Name(s)
State RankSU [S1?]
Global RankG5T5
State StatusW3
US Status
USACE-agcp
USACE-emp
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B.A. SorriePhoto taken July 2020, Konza Prairie, KS. BuncombePhoto_natural
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