Species Detail Grasses

Seedhead - Liz Makings @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)		Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants Elymus canadensis - Canada wildrye Synonyms: Elymus brachystachys, Elymus crescendus, Elymus philadelphicus, Elymus robustus Plant Form: Grass Family: Poaceae


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Spikelets Liz Makings @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)


	Grass Description - Glossary of Grass Terminology Origin: Native Season: Cool and Warm Habitat Description: Dry to moist or damp soils, on sandy or gravelly soils along streams, disturbed grounds, or in thickets and woods near streams. Plant Communities:Riparian, Disturbed Areas Elevation: 3000 - 9000 feet General Description Desc: Large bunch grass, often bluish-green with distinctive out-curving awns and thick seedhead spikes. Identification Notes: Perennial grass 24 to 63 inches tall; blades 3/4 inch wide; seedhead nodding, densely flowered, 3 to 8 inches long with awns up to 2 inches long; awns are on the lemmas and curved when dry; spikelets 2 to 4 at each node and mostly 3 to 5-flowered. Grass Type: Perennial bunchgrass Rhizomes: N Stolons: N Large Dense Clump (> 2 feet): Y Bushy (highly branched): Y Height with Seedheads: Greater than 36 inches Seedhead Structure: Unbranched Seedhead Droops: Y Flowering Period: May - Jul Flower Characteristics Number of Flowers per Spikelet: Multi-flowered Spikelets One-sided: N Awns: Greater than 1 inch Three Awns: N Awns Bent: N Flower and Seedhead Notes: Spike nodding, sometimes pendant or erect, usually with 2 spikelets per node. Spikelets have 3 to 5 florets. Vegetative Charcteristics Blade Hairy: N Blade with White Margins: N Blade Cross section: Flat or folded Blade Notes: Blades 1/4 to 3/4 inch wide, usually firm, often ascending and margins somewhat rolled inward, usually dull green, drying to grayish; surfaces facing toward the stem usually smooth or slightly rough and hairless. Sheath Hairy: N Tuft of Hairs at top of Sheath or Collar: N Ligules: Hairy Auricles (Ear-like lobes at collar area: Y Forage Value: Fodder for livestock.


	Arizona Cooperative Extension Yavapai County 840 Rodeo Dr #C Prescott, AZ 86305 (928) 445-6590	Version 8.0 http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailGrass.php Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022 Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson Legal Disclaimer