Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Elymus virginicus
FAMILY
Poaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Ryegrasses or Wild-ryes (genus Elymus) are noted by their evenly spaced leaves and elongate, terminal inflorescence that recall cultivated rye or wheat. Each floret produces several long, skinny awns per the Vascular Plants of North Carolina website.
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Elymus virginicus var. virginicus
FAMILY
Poaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2015)
Elymus virginicus var. virginicus
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 24 (2007)
Elymus virginicus var. virginicus
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-25-002:
Elymus virginicus FAMILY Poaceae
(?) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Elymus striatus
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Elymus virginicus var. virginicus
COMMON NAME:
Virginia Wild-rye, Common Eastern Wild-rye, Terrell Grass
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_elst5_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm070528_078
May Laurens County SC
Sumter National Forest: Tyger Ranger District
)
JK Marlow jkm190614_9152
June Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm190614_9154
June Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm190614_9182
June Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Culms usually 7-10dm tall, with 6-8 nodes; blades 3-15mm wide, flat, per Weakley's Flora (2018).
)
JK Marlow jkm060704_046
July Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
The "bow-legged" glumes are a good mark of recognition, per How to Know the Grasses: Pictured Key Nature Series (Pohl, 1954).
)
JK Marlow jkm060729_035
July Greenville County SC
Roadside/creekside
)
JK Marlow jkm0509g_19
September Cabarrus County NC
Suther Prairie
Can be confused with Secale cereale which often nods but has longer bristles, per Grasses, an Identification Guide (Brown, 1979).
)
JK Marlow jkm0411f_22
November York County SC
Blackjacks Heritage Preserve
Elymus species' spikelets are sessile, usually in 2s, alternating on spike, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).
COMPARE
seedheads of Bottlebrush Grass, Cereal Rye, Little Barley, and Virginia Wild-rye
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Elymus virginicus
FAMILY
Poaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Elymus virginicus var. virginicus
FAMILY
Poaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2015)
Elymus virginicus var. virginicus
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 24
Elymus virginicus var. virginicus
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-25-002:
Elymus virginicus
FAMILY
Poaceae
(?)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Elymus striatus
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Elymus virginicus var. virginicus
511
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Habitat: Moist forests, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate, 2-ranked
RHIZOMES? STOLONS?
Cespitose [growing in dense tufts, clumping], with short rhizomes
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Grain reddish
Grain
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Manual of the Grasses of the United States (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950) p261
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p151
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".