Canada wildrye
Elymus canadensis
Poaceae
Description
Leaf blades of this bunchgrass are wide and are held to the stem by auricles. The spiked seed head resembles wheat or barley and droops or nods when mature. Spikelets are in groups of three or four and are slightly spreading. Glumes are narrow and straight at the base. Awns are more than twice as long as the lemma.
Canada wildrye is a perennial, cool-season, native - 24 to 48 inches tall.
Good grazing for livestock. Fair grazing for wildlife.
Habitat
Grows in bottomlands, along ravines, in shaded areas, along fence rows, and in other moist sites. Has disappeared from rangeland pastures as the water cycle (infiltration and water-holding capacity of the soil) has changed.
Images
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Stem Texture: Hairless/Smooth
Growth Habit: Bunch grass, Grasses
Season: Cool
Distribution
: 01 - Pineywoods, 02 - Gulf Prairies and Marshes, 03 - Post Oak Savannah, 04 - Blackland Prairies, 05 - Cross Timbers and Prairies, 06 - South Texas Plains, 07 - Edwards Plateau, 08 - Rolling Plains, 09 - High Plains, 10 - Trans-Pecos
Distributions
Distribution refers to the ecological region in Texas that a plant has been found. You can also view a clickable map.
Book: Know Your Grasses (B-182)
Collection: Grasses
