Leymus triticoides
Encyclopedia
Leymus triticoides, with the common names Creeping wild rye and Beardless wild rye, is a species of wild rye
. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
, in California
, to Texas
.
.
, turf-forming perennial grass reaches 1.3 meters in maximum height. The stiff, slender green to blue-green leaves stand away from the stems at an obvious angle. The inflorescence
is a narrow spike of flowers up to 20 centimeters long.
This is a good rangeland
grass for grazing
, and it is used to stabilize waterways because of its soil-retaining rhizome network.
Leymus triticoides is an important native plant
in California chaparral and woodlands
habitat
restoration projects.
Leymus
Leymus is a genus of the true grass family . The common name for this genus is "wild rye"; however, members of the genus Elymus are also sometimes given the same common name...
. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Habitat
Leymus triticoides often grows in moist habitat, sometimes with heavy and saline soils. It forms a solid root system which allows it to grow at water's edge and prevent the soil from erodingErosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
.
Description
This rhizomatousRhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
, turf-forming perennial grass reaches 1.3 meters in maximum height. The stiff, slender green to blue-green leaves stand away from the stems at an obvious angle. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a narrow spike of flowers up to 20 centimeters long.
This is a good rangeland
Rangeland
Rangelands are vast natural landscapes in the form of grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, steppes, and tundras...
grass for grazing
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
, and it is used to stabilize waterways because of its soil-retaining rhizome network.
Leymus triticoides is an important native plant
Native plant
Native plant is a term to describe plants endemic or naturalized to a given area in geologic time.This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area...
in California chaparral and woodlands
California chaparral and woodlands
The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of lower northern, central, and southern California and northwestern Baja California , located on the west coast of North America...
habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
restoration projects.