Elymus lanceolatus

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Elymus lanceolatus
Agropyron dasystachyum or elymus lanceolatus.jpg
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Genus: Elymus
Species:
E. lanceolatus
Binomial name
Elymus lanceolatus
(Scribn. & J.G.Sm.) Gould
Synonyms

Agropyron dasystachyum

Elymus lanceolatus is a species of grass known by the common names thickspike wheatgrass [1] [2] and streamside wheatgrass. It is native to North America, where it is widespread and abundant in much of Canada and the western and central United States. There are two subspecies, subsp. lanceolatus occurring throughout the species' range and subsp. psammophilus occurring in the Great Lakes region. [3]

Contents

Elymus lanceolatus subsp. lanceolatus is a perennial, rhizomatous grass. It has a moderate growth rate and is shade intolerant. It is available commercially. [2]

Description

This grass produces hollow, erect stems up to 1.3 metres (4.3 feet) tall. The grass grows from a dense network of roots and rhizomes thickly intertwined to form a sod. The leaves are up to 25 centimetres (9.8 inches) long and .5 cm (0.20 in) wide and are flat or slightly rolled at the edges. In dry, hot weather the leaves roll completely into cylindrical shapes. The inflorescence is a narrow, compact spike at the top of the stem, measuring up to 22 cm (8.7 in) long. Each spikelet may have 2 to 11 flowers. [3]

Elymus lanceolatus is polymorphic, [2] there are two subspecies: subsp. lanceolatus occurring throughout the species' range and subsp. psammophilus occurring in the Great Lakes region. [3]

This species can hybridize with some other grass species, bluebunch wheatgrass ( Pseudoroegneria spicata ) and slender wheatgrass ( Elymus trachycaulus ). [3]

Ecology

This plant is native to semiarid regions. [1] The plant grows in areas with 200-500 millimeters (8-20 inches) of annual precipitation. [3] It is common and dominant in a number of habitat types in all stages of ecological succession. It can be found in forests, woodlands, sagebrush, shrubsteppe, desert, sandy lakeshores and sand dunes, and a wide variety of grassland and prairie ecosystems. It takes hold easily in disturbed areas such as roadsides. [3] It is capable of growing in high altitude regions of the Rocky Mountains or at sea level near the Great Lakes in the United States. [2] Though it rarely forms large monotypic stands, small pure stands of the species are common. It is highly drought-resistant and tolerant of wildfire and grazing pressure. [3]

The bloom period for E. lanceolatus is mid-spring. [2] The plant often reproduces by seed, but in some areas, particularly in sandy substrates, it reproduces vegetatively by sprouting from its rhizome. New plants sprout from a soil seed bank, the seeds surviving in the soil for 3 to 4 years on average. [3]

E. lanceolatus is mycorrhizal. [4]

Uses

Elymus lanceolatus shows potential to be used for restoring grasslands. This can indirectly help human food consumption as E. lanceolatus may improve soil health. [5] Soil health may be improved because it produces a sod due to its ability to form grass root networks and rhizomes. [5] The term sod refers to grass which is held together by roots below soil. Plants may have a more difficult time forming rhizomes if there are neighboring roots nearby that would cause physical resistance. [1] This plant’s growth is increased by removing other plants nearby and planting at a moderate density around 300-600 seeds/m2. [5]

Wheatgrass has also previously been shown to be beneficial for forage uses. This may be because it can be seeded with legumes in both warm and cool seasons [6] . Elymus lanceolatus has specifically been used for animal foraging. [2] Though E. lanceolatus does not produce a nut or berry product, it can be consumed by grazing animals. In the spring, it is a preferred food source for elk, horses, and cattle. [2] It is additionally beneficial because it has a rapid vegetative spread rate even though its rate of spreading seeds is slow. Humans have not eaten E. lanceolatus because studies suggest that it may inedible for human consumption. However, it has a medium protein nutritive potential. Its protein levels are highest in the spring, at around 20%. This protein content decreases to about 4% as the plant matures. The amount of carbohydrates that can be digested (in animals) are about 45% in the growth period of E. lanceolatus. [2] The USDA Plants Profile page suggests that E. lanceolatus is not palatable to humans. [2]

This grass makes a good forage for livestock, particularly when it is young and succulent. [3] This grass may also be used for foraging in the summer season even though many other grass species are past their optimal nutritive and productive period. [7] Wildlife such as elk also consume it. It is valuable for revegetation efforts in disturbed spaces such as pipeline construction sites and is good for rangeland rehabilitation. It is also used in urban areas. Its ability to form thick sod makes it good for erosion control, and the sod is so dense that many weeds are unable to invade stands of it. A number of cultivars have been introduced, such as 'Bannock,' 'Critana,' 'Elbee,' 'Schwendimar,' 'Secar,' and 'Sodar'. The grass, including its cultivars, has been shown to be effective at inhibiting the spread of weeds such as Russian knapweed (Acroptilon repens) and diffuse knapweed (Centaurea diffusa). [3]

Because the plant produces a dense mat of rhizomes, deep roots, and can form dense stands, it is suitable for erosion control. [3] [8]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Pseudoroegneria spicata</i> Species of grass

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<i>Elymus trachycaulus</i> Species of flowering plant

Elymus trachycaulus is a species of wild rye known by the common name slender wheatgrass. It is native to much of North America. It grows in widely varied habitats from northern Canada to Mexico, but is absent from most of the southeastern United States.

<i>Tripsacum dactyloides</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Hilaria jamesii</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Calamovilfa longifolia</i> Species of grass

Calamovilfa longifolia is a species of grass known by the common names prairie sandreed and sand reedgrass. It is native to North America, where it occurs from the Northwest Territories to Ontario in Canada and as far south as New Mexico and Kansas in the United States. There are two varieties, var. longifolia being widespread in the species' range and var. magna being native to the Great Lakes region.

<i>Calamagrostis montanensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Calamagrostis montanensis is a species of grass known by the common names plains reedgrass and prairie reedgrass. It is native to North America, where it is found across Canada from British Columbia to Manitoba and south to Colorado in the United States.

<i>Carex inops</i> Species of grass-like plant

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<i>Leymus salina</i> Species of flowering plant

Leymus salina is a species of grass known as Salina wildrye, Salina Pass wild rye, and saline wildrye. It is native to the western United States and is named for its type locality: Salina Pass, Utah.

<i>Panicum repens</i> Species of plant

Panicum repens is a species of grass known by many common names, including torpedograss, creeping panic, panic rampant, couch panicum, wainaku grass, quack grass, dog-tooth grass, and bullet grass. Its exact native range is obscure. Sources suggest that the grass is native to "Africa and/or Asia", "Europe or Australia", "Eurasia", "Australia", "Europe, Asia, and Africa", or other specific regions, including the Mediterranean, Israel, and Argentina. It is present in many places as an introduced species and often a noxious weed. It has been called "one of the world's worst weeds."

<i>Hilaria mutica</i> Grass species

Hilaria mutica, synonym Pleuraphis mutica, is a species of grass known by the common name tobosa, or tobosa grass. It is native to Northern Mexico, and the Southwestern United States, in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

<i>Elymus hoffmannii</i> Species of grass

Elymus hoffmannii is a species of grass known by the common name RS wheatgrass. It was described as a new species in 1996. It became known to science when some grasses were collected in Turkey in 1979 and one type was successfully bred out, proving to be a natural hybrid. E. hoffmannii is derived from this hybrid between Elymus repens and the bluebunch wheatgrasses of Turkey, such as Pseudoroegneria spicata.

<i>Elymus wawawaiensis</i> Species of flowering plant

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Humphrey DL, Pyke DA (2001) Ramet spacing of Elymus lanceolatus (thickspike wheatgrass) in response to neighbor density. Canadian Journal of Botany 79(9): 1122 –1126.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Plants Profile for Elymus lanceolatus lanceolatus (thickspike wheatgrass)". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Scher, Janette S. (2002). Elymus lanceolatus. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Retrieved 12-20-2011.
  4. Lenhoff EA, Menalled FD (2013) Impacts of Tamarix-mediated soil changes on restoration plant growth. Applied Vegetation Science 16(3): 438 – 447.
  5. 1 2 3 Wilson SD (2015) Managing contingency in semiarid grassland restoration through repeated planning. Restoration Ecology 23(4): 385 – 392.
  6. Biligetu B, Jefferson PG, Muni R, Schellenberg MP (2014) Late summer forage yield, nutritive value, compatibility of warm- and cool-season grasses seeded with legumes in western Canada. Canadian Journal of Plant Science94(7): 1139 – 1148.
  7. Asay, K. H. (1983). "Promising new grasses for range seedings" (PDF). USDA Forest Service General Technical Report INT.
  8. Anderson JE, Shumar ML, Toft NL, Nowak RS (1987) Control of the soil water balance by sagebrush and three perennial grasses in a cold-desert environment. Arid Soil Research and Rehabilitation 4(1): 229-244.

Further reading