Overview
Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Bottle-Brush Squirrel-Tail, Bottlebrush Squirreltail, Squirreltail, Western Bottle-Brush Grass
Description
Genus Elymus
Plants
perennial
, usually tufted
, usually without, rarely with, rhizomes. Culms
usually erect
. Leaf sheath
of cauline leaves split almost to base
; auricles
present or absent; leaf blade flat or rolled. Spike erect to nodding
. Spikelets
1 or 2(4) per node, sessile, rarely very shortly pedicellate
, appressed
to rachis, clearly laterally compressed
, usually all similar, with 210 or more florets
; rachis tough. Glumes
opposite or side-by-side, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate-ovate, firmly membranous to leathery, 19(11) -veined, not keeled
, apex obtuse
to shortly awned
; veins ± raised. Lemma lanceolate-oblong, rounded
abaxially, 5-veined, ± pubescent
, apex obtuse or acute to awned, rarely toothed
; veins connivent at apex; awn
erect or reflexed
. Palea shorter than or equaling lemma, apex retuse
, subrounded, or acute. Caryopsis usually adherent
to lemma and palea. x = 7.
About 170 species:temperate regions of both hemispheres, mainly in Asia; 88 species (62 endemic) in China.
The genus Roegneria should be referred to Elymus because of their many common characters, e.g.
, plants usually tufted; spikelets usually all similar, 1 per node; lemma lanceolate-oblong, rounded abaxially, 5-veined, veins connivent at apex.[1]
Physical Description
Habit: Graminoid • Growth Form: Bunch • Shape and Orientation: Erect
Flowers: Bloom Period: Mid Spring • Flower Color: Yellow • Flower Conspicuous: No
Seeds: Seed per Pound: 192000 • Seed Spread Rate: Slow • Seedling Vigor: Medium • Fruit/Seed Abundance: Medium • Fruit/Seed Color: Brown • Fruit/Seed Conspicuous: No • Cold Stratification Required: No
Foliage: Foliage Color: Green • Foliage Porosity Summer: Moderate • Foliage Porosity Winter: Porous • Foliage Texture: Fine • Fall Conspicuous: No • Leaf Retention: No
Size/Age/Growth
Active Growth Period: Spring • Growth Rate: Moderate • After Harvest Regrowth Rate: Moderate • Mature Height (feet): 1.5 • Vegetative Spread Rate: None • Lifespan: Lifespan
Habitat
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 3,180 meters (0 to 10,433 feet).[2]
Biology
Reproduction
Duration: Perennial • Coppice Potential: No • Progagated by Bulbs: No • Propagated by Bare Root: No • Propagated by Container: No • Propagated by Corms: No • Propagated by Cuttings: No • Propagated by Seed: Yes • Propagated by Sod: No • Propagated by Sprigs: No • Propagated by Tubers: No • Fruit/Seed Period Begin: Spring • Fruit/Seed Period End: Summer • Fruit/Seed Persistence: No
Growth
Soil: Adapted to Medium Textured: Adapted to Medium Textured Soils • Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils: No • Anaerobic Tolerance: None • Salinity Tolerance: Low • CaCO3 Tolerance: High • Minimum pH: 6.0 • Maximum pH: 8.4 • Fertility Requirement: Low
Sunlight: Shade Tolerance: Intolerant
Moisture: Drought Tolerance: High • Minimum Precipitation: 5 • Maximum Precipitation: 16 • Moisture Use: Low
Temperature: Minimum Temperature (F): -43 • Minimum Frost Free Days: 90
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
)
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
)
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
)
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
)
- (Auct.) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Infraphylum:
Angiospermae
(
)
- Auct.
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
)
- Brongniart, 1843
- Subclass:
Commelinidae
(
)
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Subclass:
Commelinidae
(
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Angiospermae
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Synonyms
Elymus elymoides var. brevifolius (J. G. Sm.) Dorn • Elymus longifolius (J. G. Sm.) Gould • Sitanion hystrix var. brevifolium (J. G. Sm.) C. L. Hitchc. • Sitanion longifolium J. G. Sm. • Sitanion velutinum Piper
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
. Latest taxonomic
scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000
Place of publication
: Nebraska fl.
pl. 15. 1891
Name verified on 08-Nov-2007 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last
updated: 20-Nov-2007
Similar Species
Members of the genus Elymus
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 85 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
E. alaskanus alaskanus (Alaskan Wheatgrass) · E. alaskanus latiglumis (Alaskan Wheatgrass) · E. alaskanus subsp. latiglumis (Alaskan Wheatgrass) · E. albicans (Montana Wheatgrass) · E. arizonicus (Arizona Wheatgrass) · E. bakeri (Baker's Wheatgrass) · E. calderi (Yukon Wheatgrass) · E. californicus (California Bottlebrush Grass) · E. canadensis (Canada Wild Rye) · E. canadensis var. canadensis (Canada Wildrye) · E. caninus (Bearded Wheatgrass) · E. ciliaris (Wildrye) · E. dahuricus (Dahurian Wild Rye) · E. diversiglumis (Diverseglume Wildrye) · E. dorei (Dore's Wildrye) · E. elymoides brevifolius (Bottle-Brush Squirrel-Tail) · E. elymoides hordeoides (Bottlebrush Squirreltail) · E. elymoides subsp. brevifolius (Squirreltail) · E. elymoides subsp. californicus (Squirreltail) · E. elymoides subsp. hordeoides (Desert Squirreltail) · E. europaeus (Wood-Barley) · E. glaucus (Blue Wild Rye) · E. glaucus virescens (Blue Wild Rye) · E. glaucus subsp. jepsonii (Jepson's Blue Wildrye) · E. glaucus subsp. virescens (Blue Wildrye) · E. gmelinii (Wildrye) · E. hanseni (Hansen Squirreltail) · E. hansenii (Hansen Squirreltail) · E. hirsutus (Alaska Wild-Rye) · E. hoffmannii (Rs Wheatgrass) · E. hyperarcticus (Tundra Wildrye) · E. hystrix (Bottle-Brush Grass) · E. hystrix var. bigeloviana (Bottlebrush Grass) · E. hystrix var. hystrix (Eastern Bottle-Brush Grass) · E. interruptus (Texas Wildrye) · E. kronokensis (Arctic Wheatgrass) · E. kronokensis subsp. subalpinus (Northern Wheatgrass) · E. lanceolatus (Streambank Wheatgrass) · E. lanceolatus lanceolatus (Streambank Wheatgrass) · E. lanceolatus psammophilus (Streambank Wheatgrass) · E. lanceolatus subsp. psammophilus (Streambank Wheatgrass) · E. latiglumis (Alaskan Wheatgrass) · E. macrourus (Thickspike Wheatgrass) · E. magellanicus (Blue Lyme Grass) · E. maltei (Malt Wildrye) · E. mossii (Moss' Wildrye) · E. multisetus (Big Squirrel-Tail) · E. palmerensis (Palmer's Wildrye) · E. pendulina (Wildrye) · E. pinaloensis (Pinalo Wildrye) · E. pseudorepens (Creeping Wildrye) · E. repens (Couchgrass) · E. repens repens (Couch-Grass) · E. riparius (River Wild-Rye) · E. saundersii (Saunder Wildrye) · E. scaber (Common Wheat-Grass) · E. scribneri (Schribner Wheatgrass) · E. semicostatum (Drooping Wild Rye) · E. sibiricus (Siberian Wild-Rye) · E. sierrae (Sierra Wildrye) · E. stebbinsii (Parish Wheatgrass) · E. stebbinsii stebbinsii (Parish Wheatgrass) · E. submuticus (Virginia Wildrye) · E. subsecundus (Bearded Wheatgrass) · E. svensonii (Svenson's Wild-Rye) · E. tangutorum (Wildrye) · E. trachycaulus (Slender Wheatgrass) · E. trachycaulus subsecundus (Slender Wheatgrass) · E. trachycaulus trachycaulus (Slender Wheatgrass) · E. trachycaulus subsp. subsecundus (Slender Wheatgrass) · E. villosus (Hairy Wild Rye) · E. virginicus (Virginia Wild Rye) · E. virginicus var. halophilus (Terrell Grass) · E. virginicus var. virginicus (Virginia Wild Rye) · E. vulpinus (Rydberg's Wildrye) · E. wawawaiensis (Snake River Wheatgrass) · E. wiegandii (Wiegand's Wild Rye) · E. x dorei (Dore's Wildrye) · E. x hansenii (Hansen Squirreltail) · E. x maltei (Malt Wildrye) · E. x mossii (Moss' Wildrye) · E. x palmerensis (Palmer's Wildrye) · E. x pinaloensis (Pinalo Wildrye) · E. x pseudorepens (Quackgrass) · E. x saundersii (Saunders' Wheatgrass)
More Info
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- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Barkworth, M. E. & D. R. Dewey. 1985. Genomically based genera in the perennial Triticeae of North America: identification and membership. Amer. J. Bot. 72:768.
- Barkworth, M. E. et al. 1983. New generic concepts in the Triticeae of the Intermountain Region: keys and comments. Great Basin Naturalist 43:562.
- Cronquist, A. et al. 1972–. Intermountain flora. (Intermt F) [= Sitanion hystrix (Nutt.) J. G. Sm.].
- Dewey, D. R. 1983. Historical and current taxonomic perspectives of Agropyron, Elymus and related genera. Crop Sci. (Madison) 23:639.
- Englert, J. M. et al. 1999–. USDA-NRCS Improved conservation plant materials released by NRCS and cooperators. (NRCS Cons Pl Mat)
- FNA Editorial Committee. 1993–. Flora of North America. (F NAmer)
- Hickman, J. C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: Higher plants of California. (F CalifJep)
- Hitchcock, C. L. et al. 1955–1969. Vascular plants of the Pacific Northwest. (F Pacif NW) [= Sitanion hystrix (Nutt.) J. G. Sm.].
- Löve, Á. 1984. Conspectus of the Triticeae. Feddes Repert. 95:465. [= E. sitanion Schult.].
- Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2. (Food Feed Crops US)
- Welsh, S. L. et al. 1993. A Utah flora. (F Utah ed2)
Notes
Contributors
- Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 30, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.
- USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (April 27, 2008)
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 8287880
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-525111
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13902329
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1004610-1
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 502264
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PMPOA2H110
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: SIHYH ELEL
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 3728173
Footnotes
- "Elymus". in Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 1, 386, 387, 400. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- Mean = 1,478.470 meters (4,850.623 feet), Standard Deviation = 495.060 based on 563 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
