Scientific Family
Poaceae
Plant type
Grasses
Riparian
Yes
Grass Description
Origin
Native
Season
Warm
Moist woods, meadows, and prairies.
Plant Community
Riparian
Low elevation
3100
High elevation
3200
Similar species
Elymus glaucus, Elymus canadensis
General Description
Tufted; seedhead remains straight at maturity; short, membranous, rigid ligule; no hair on stems or leaves; color variable, green waxy, blue-green or silver.
1 to 4 feet tall; leaves flat, 2 to 4 inches wide; spikes rigidly erect, 2 to 5 inches; lemmas with conspicuous straight awns, base of glumes round, hardened at base. Awns of E. canadensis are divergent, glumes of E. glaucus not hardened.
Grass type
Perennial bunchgrass
Rhizomes
No
Stolons
No
Clump Diameter 2 ft or more
No
Bushy - highly branched
Yes
Height with Seedheads
Greater than 36 inches
Seedhead Structure
Unbranched
Seedhead droops
No
First bloom month
June
Last bloom month
August
Flower Characteristics
Flowers per Spikelet
Multi-flowered
Spikelets One-Sided
No
Awns
1/4 inch to 1 inch
Three Awns
No
Awns bent
No
Flower and Seedhead Notes
The seedhead is densely covered on all sides with ascending sessile spikelets. The seedhead is partially enclosed or barely exerted from the uppermost leaf. Spikelets 1/2 inch, appressed to slightly divergent, commonly 3 to 4 florets.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blade is hairy
No
Blade margins white
No
Blade cross-section
Flat
6 to 10 rough blades, 2 to 4 inches wide and 12 inches long occur along the entire length of each seedhead stem. Blades are medium green, dark green, or bluish-green, hairless on both their upper and lower sides, and rather floppy.
Sheath is hairy
No
Tufts of hair top of sheath or collar
No
Ligule
Membranous
Auricles
No
Not available.