Elymus
squirreltail, wheatgrass, wild-rye
Synonyms:
Sitanion [HC]
14 species
10 subspecies and varieties
10 subspecies and varieties
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Elymus albicans – Montana wild rye
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to Washington, east to the northern Great Plains.
Habitat: Shallow, rocky soils on wooded or sagebrush-covered slopes.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to Washington, east to the northern Great Plains.
Habitat: Shallow, rocky soils on wooded or sagebrush-covered slopes.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Elymus canadensis – Canadian wild rye
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to Quebec, North Carolina and Texas
Habitat: Streambanks and thickets on sandy, dry to moist soil, and in disturbed areas.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to Quebec, North Carolina and Texas
Habitat: Streambanks and thickets on sandy, dry to moist soil, and in disturbed areas.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
• var. canadensis – Canadian wild rye, nodding wild rye
Elymus curvatus – beardless wild rye, awnless wildrye
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in northeastern Washington; southeastern British Columbia to northeastern Washington, east to the northern Great Plains.
Habitat: Moist soils of open forest, thickets, grasslands, ditches, and disturbed ground, especially on bottomland.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in northeastern Washington; southeastern British Columbia to northeastern Washington, east to the northern Great Plains.
Habitat: Moist soils of open forest, thickets, grasslands, ditches, and disturbed ground, especially on bottomland.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Elymus elymoides – bottlebrush, squirreltail
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to southern California, east to the Great Plains and eastern North America.
Habitat: Dry and rocky to moist habitats, from along the coast to inland desert plains and prairies, and to the alpine.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to southern California, east to the Great Plains and eastern North America.
Habitat: Dry and rocky to moist habitats, from along the coast to inland desert plains and prairies, and to the alpine.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
• ssp. brevifolius – longleaf squirreltail
• ssp. elymoides – bottlebrush squirreltail, California squirreltail
• ssp. hordeoides – bottlebrush, squirreltail
Elymus glaucus – blue wild-rye
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Great Plains and Great Lakes region.
Habitat: Prairies, open woods, and dry to moist hillsides, from the lowlands to middle elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Great Plains and Great Lakes region.
Habitat: Prairies, open woods, and dry to moist hillsides, from the lowlands to middle elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
• ssp. glaucus – blue wildrye
• ssp. virescens – blue wildrye
Elymus hirsutus – boreal wildrye, Northwest wildrye
Distribution: Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east to Alberta and Idaho.
Habitat: Forests, thickets, and grasslands.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east to Alberta and Idaho.
Habitat: Forests, thickets, and grasslands.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Elymus lanceolatus – thick-spiked wheatgrass
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and Great Lakes region.
Habitat: Sand and clay soils, dry to mesic grasslands, and sagebrush.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and Great Lakes region.
Habitat: Sand and clay soils, dry to mesic grasslands, and sagebrush.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
• ssp. lanceolatus – thick-spiked wheatgrass
• ssp. psammophilus – sand-dune wheatgrass
• ssp. riparius – stream bank wheatgrass
Elymus multisetus – big squirreltail
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; central Washington to California, east to Idaho, Colorado, and Arizona.
Habitat: Dry, often rocky, open woodland and thickets on slopes and plains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; central Washington to California, east to Idaho, Colorado, and Arizona.
Habitat: Dry, often rocky, open woodland and thickets on slopes and plains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Elymus repens – creeping wildrye
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast; circumboreal.
Habitat: Fields, roadsides, meadows, pastures, wastelots, and other disturbed open areas.
Origin: Introduced from Eurasia
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast; circumboreal.
Habitat: Fields, roadsides, meadows, pastures, wastelots, and other disturbed open areas.
Origin: Introduced from Eurasia
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Elymus scribneri – Scribner's wildrye
Distribution: Occurring in the Cascades Range in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the Rocky Mountains.
Habitat: Open, rocky, often windswept subalpine and alpine regions.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring in the Cascades Range in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the Rocky Mountains.
Habitat: Open, rocky, often windswept subalpine and alpine regions.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Elymus trachycaulus – slender wheatgrass
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Lowland to subalpine, usually in open areas, occasionally in forests.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-June
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Lowland to subalpine, usually in open areas, occasionally in forests.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-June
Growth Duration: Perennial
• ssp. trachycaulus – bearded wheatgrass
Elymus violaceus – arctic wheatgrass, bearded wheatgrass
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east to the Rocky Mountains, east across Canada to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: High montane to alpine rocks and grassland.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east to the Rocky Mountains, east across Canada to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: High montane to alpine rocks and grassland.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Elymus wawawaiensis – wawawai wildrye
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; southeastern Washington to eastern Oregon and western Idaho.
Habitat: Shallow, rocky soils.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; southeastern Washington to eastern Oregon and western Idaho.
Habitat: Shallow, rocky soils.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
