Elymus curvatus
Elymus dahuricus
awnless wild-rye, awnless wlldrye, beardless wild rye
Dahurian wild rye
60-110 cm, stiffly erect, or the base sometimes geniculate;
nodes 6-9, concealed or exposed, glabrous.
30-130 cm, erect;
nodes 4-7, mostly exposed, usually glabrous, occasionally short-hairy.
evenly distributed;
sheaths glabrous, often reddish brown;
auricles to 1 mm, sometimes absent;
ligules shorter than 1 mm, ciliolate;
blades 5-15 mm wide, the lower blades usually lax, shorter, narrower, and senescing earlier, the upper blades usually ascending and somewhat involute, adaxial surfaces smooth or scabridulous, occasionally scabrous.
evenly distributed;
sheaths glabrous;
auricles minute or absent;
ligules 0.5-1 mm;
blades 3-18 mm wide, lax, usually pale green, sometimes glaucous, adaxial surfaces usually smooth or scabrous on the veins, sometimes sparsely pilose.
9-15 cm long, (0.5)0.7-1.3 cm wide, erect, exserted or the bases slightly sheathed, with 2 spikelets per node;
internodes 2.5-4.5 mm long, about 0.25-5 mm thick at the thinnest sections, smooth or scabrous beneath the spikelets.
7-23 cm long, 1-2.5 cm wide, usually slightly nodding, sometimes erect, usually with 2 spikelets per node, occasionally with 1 spikelet at some nodes;
internodes 3-6 mm long, 0.2-0.8 mm thick at the thinnest sections, angles usually with scattered hairs.
10-15 mm, appressed, often reddish brown at maturity, with (2)3-4(5) florets, lowest florets functional;
disarticulation below the glumes and beneath the florets, or the lowest floret falling with the glumes.
10-15 mm, appressed to divergent, often purplish, with (2)3-4(5) florets, lowest florets functional;
disarticulation above the glumes, beneath each floret.
equal or subequal, the basal 2-3 mm terete, indurate, strongly bowed out, without evident venation, glume bodies 7-15 mm long, 1.2-2.1 mm wide, linear-lanceolate, widening above the base, 3-5-veined, usually glabrous or scabrous, occasionally hispidulous, rarely hirsute on the veins, margins firm, awns 0-3(5) mm;
lemmas 6-10 mm, glabrous or scabrous, rarely hirsute, awns (0.5)1-3(4) mm, rarely 5-10 mm on the lemmas of the distal spikelets, straight;
paleas 6-10 mm, obtuse, often emarginate;
anthers 1.5-3 mm.
equal, the bases flat, not indurate, veins evident, glume bodies 6-9 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, linear-lanceolate, entire, widening or parallel-sided above the base, (1)3-5(7)-veined, veins scabrous, margins hyaline or scarious, awns (0)1-5 mm, straight or outcurving;
lemmas (5)7-11 mm, usually glabrous and smooth throughout, sometimes scabrous to hispid distally and on the margins, marginal hairs not markedly longer than those elsewhere, awns (3)6-17(20) mm, usually somewhat outcurving from near the base;
paleas 7-11 mm, keels spinose-ciliate, apices obtuse or truncate;
anthers 1.5-3.5 mm.
late June to mid-August.
from May to July.
= 28, 42.
= 42.
Elymus curvatus
Elymus dahuricus
Elymus curvatus grows in moist or damp soils of open forests, thickets, grasslands, ditches, and disturbed ground, especially on bottomland. It is widespread from British Columbia and Washington, through the Intermountain region and northern Rockies, to the northern Great Plains. It is infrequent or rare in the midwest, the Great Lakes region, and the northeast, and is virtually unknown in the southeast. It is similar to E. virginicus (p. 298), and has sometimes been included in that species as E. virginicus var. submuticus Hook., but is more distinct than the varieties of E. virginicus treated above. Although E. virginicus and E. curvatus overlap greatly in range, E. curvatus usually has a distinct growth form, and its anthesis is 1-2 weeks later (Brooks 1974). Its spikes range from being completely exserted, especially west of the Great Plains, to largely sheathed, especially east of the Mississippi River and in more stressed environments. This geographic trend parallels that within E. virginicus, but sheathed plants of E. curvatus can usually be distinguished by their short awns. Clear transitions to E. virginicus, usually var. jejunus, are rare, but, especially from Missouri to Wisconsin, there are occasional plants with 5-10 mm awns on a few lemmas, especially at the spike tips. Rarely, plants from Missouri and Iowa to Quebec have hispid to hirsute spikelets, suggesting introgression with E. virginicus var. intermedius. There are a few records of apparent hybrids with other species.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Elymus dahuricus is widespread in temperate central and eastern Asia. Like E. tsukushiensis (p. 336), it is a hexaploid with an StYH genome constitution. It has been introduced for reclamation in some parts of western North America. It is most likely to be confused with E. glaucus (p. 306), from which it differs in its palea shape. Because its presence in the region became known shortly before completion of this volume, its distribution in the region is not known. Several varieties have been described in Asia; only Elymus dahuricus Turcz. ex Griseb. var. dahuricus has been introduced to North America.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
BC
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
