genus
Wildryes
Elymus
Field notes
Elymus is a genus of perennial plants with approximately 150 species in the grass family, related to rye, wheat, and other widely grown cereal grains.
Elymus is a cosmopolitan genus, represented by species across all continents of the world.
Common names include couch grass, wild rye and wheatgrass.
The genus name Elymus comes from the Greek ἔλυμος (élumos) "foxtail millet, Setaria italica".
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- Quack Grass introduced
- Bottlebrush Grass native
- Virginia Wildrye native
- Canada Wild Rye native
- Squirreltail native
- Blue Wild Rye native
- Silky Wild Rye native
- Southeastern Wildrye native
- Slender Wheat Grass native
- Western Wheatgrass native
- Bearded Wild Rye
- Sand Couch-grass
- River Wild Rye native
- MacGregor's Wildrye native
- Siberian Wild Rye
- Thickspike Wheatgrass native
- Big Squirreltail native
- Wheatgrass
- Wildrye
- California Bottle-brush Grass native
- Wiegand's Wild Rye native
- Slender Wheatgrass
- Longleaf Squirreltail native
- Sea Couch
Range
Greener is more native, amber more introduced; paler is less certain. How this was decided
Key traits
- Layer
- Grasses and sedges
- Plant type
- Ornamental grasses and sedges Perennial
From USDA PLANTS.
Top native wildryes All
Native to the US, ranked by caterpillars, then bees and other hosts, food, flowers and shelter.
-
Western Wheatgrass
Elymus smithii
keystone
caterpillars
12
food
9
-
Virginia Wildrye
Elymus virginicus
keystone
caterpillars
11
food
7
flowers
1
-
Canada Wild Rye
Elymus canadensis
keystone
caterpillars
10
food
7
flowers
1
-
Slender Wheat Grass
Elymus trachycaulus
keystone
caterpillars
9
food
4
-
Squirreltail
Elymus elymoides
keystone
caterpillars
9
food
3
-
Bottlebrush Grass
Elymus hystrix
keystone
caterpillars
8
food
5
-
Blue Wild Rye
Elymus glaucus
keystone
caterpillars
8
food
4
-
Silky Wild Rye
Elymus villosus
keystone
caterpillars
8
food
4
-
Thickspike Wheatgrass
Elymus lanceolatus
keystone
caterpillars
8
food
3
-
Scribner's Wheatgrass
Elymus scribneri
keystone
caterpillars
7
food
3
-
Big Squirreltail
Elymus multisetus
keystone
caterpillars
7
food
2
-
Montana Wild Rye
Elymus albicans
keystone
caterpillars
6
food
2
-
Longleaf Squirreltail
Elymus longifolius
caterpillars
6
food
1
-
Boreal Wild Rye
Elymus hirsutus
keystone
caterpillars
5
food
2
-
Sierra Wild Rye
Elymus sierrae
caterpillars
5
food
1