Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Wildrye
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
Species Elymus tangutorum
Culms
erect
or geniculate
at base
, to 120 cm tall, 4- or 5-noded.
Leaf sheath
smooth
; leaf blade flat, 10-20 × 0.6-1.4 cm, both
surfaces scabrous
or abaxial
surface smooth and adaxial
surface pilose
.
Spike erect, usually dense, 8-15 × 0.8-1 cm; rachis margin
ciliolate
. Spikelets
usually 2 per node, green or slightly purplish,
9-15 mm, with 3 or 4 florets
. Glumes
lanceolate or linear-lanceolate,
7-10 mm, obscurely 5-veined, scabrous or hirsutulous
along veins,
apex acuminate or with awn
1-3 mm.
Lemma lanceolate, glabrous
, or
hirsutulous distally; first lemma 8-12 mm; awn erect, (3-) 5-11 mm.
Palea equaling lemma, ciliate
along keels, apex narrowly obtuse
.
Fl.
and fr. late summer. 2n = 42. [source]
Elymus molliusculus is very similar to E. tangutorum
in culm height and features of leaf blade, spike, spikelets, and
lemma. It is therefore treated here in synonymy
. [source]
Habit: Graminoid
Habitat
Mountain slopes , steppes .[2].
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
- Superorder:
Juncanae
(
)
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Juncanae
(
- Subclass:
Commelinidae
(
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Angiospermae
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Synonyms
Bull. Jard. Bot. Acad. Sci. Urss 30: 647. 1932 • Clinelymus tangutorum Nevski • Elymus molliusculus L. B. Cai.
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
.
Last scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000
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
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Agafonov, A. V. et al. 2001. Differentiation in the Elymus dahuricus complex (Poaceae): evidence from grain proteins, DNA, and crossability. Hereditas (Beijing) 135:277–289.
- Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959–. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. (F China) [accepts].
- Fu, Y. C. et al. 1977–. Flora intramongolica. (F InnMong) [accepts].
- Hara, H. et al. 1978–1982. An enumeration of the flowering plants of Nepal. (L Nepal) [accepts].
- Löve, Á. 1984. Conspectus of the Triticeae. Feddes Repert. 95:451.
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.
- "Elymus tangutorum". in Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 401, 404, 405. Published by Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 28, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.
- Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.
- USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (April 27, 2008)
- USDA, NRCS. 2005. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 28, 2008:
- Missouri Botanical Garden
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2671349
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-507485
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:400457-1
- GRIN Nomen Number: 310198
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 507485
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: ELTA
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 37089
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]
- "Elymus tangutorum". in Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 401, 404, 405. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
