1. Elymus triticoides Buckl. Beardless wild-rye. Fig. 96. 



Perennial from creeping rhizomes; aerial culms erect, 6-12 dm. long; spikes 

 erect, 7-20 cm. long, slender, the spikelets of successive nodes overlapping only 

 a sixth to a half their lengths; spikelets paired; glumes subulate, much shorter 

 than the body of the lemma; lemma tapering into a mucro or awn only 1-2 mm. 

 long. 



On the dried or moist edges of meadows and flats, and in marshes about 

 ponds, usually in heavy often alkaline soil, also flourishing as a weed in waste 

 places, reported to occur in the Tex. Plains Country and Trans-Pecos; if present 

 exceedingly rare and probably not nat., in N. M. (Dona Ana, Otero and Taos 

 cos.) and Ariz. (Navajo, Coconino, Mohave, Yavapai, Greenlee and Pima cos.), 

 spring; abundant in Pac. States, less frequent e. to the mts. of Mont., Wyo., 

 Colo, and N. M. 



This species is apparently more closely related to species included in the genus 

 Agropyron than it is to the other 2 species of Elymus below. 



2. Elymus virginicus L. 



Perennial; culms basally erect or very shortly decumbent, mostly erect, 

 6-12 dm. long, peduncles (at maturity of the spike!) 7-30 cm. long; spikes 3-12 

 cm. long, mostly erect or at least ascending; spikelets paired; glumes linear-elliptic, 

 at the very base discolored, tending to be terete in transection, strongly indurate 

 and diverging at a large angle from the axis but upward broader, flatter and less 

 thoroughly indurate, 1.2-2.2 mm. broad near the middle and becoming more 

 erect, tapered upward to a straightish ascending or slightly divergent awn 5-25 

 mm. long. Incl. forms that have been called var. australis (Scribn. & Ball) 

 Hitchc, var. glabrifiorus (Vasey) Bush and var. intermedius (Vasey) Bush. 



In mud and water of streams, ponds and marshy areas, in Okla. (Murray and 

 Pittsburg COS.) and rather frequent in e., s.e., and n.-cen. Tex., less abundant 

 in n. parts of Rio Grande Plains, Edwards Plateau and Plains Country, and Ariz. 

 (Yavapai Co.), spring-summer; e. U.S. w. to Wash., Ida., Ut. and n. N. M., 

 rare to n. Ariz. 



This species is highly variable. Many plants referred here show some characters 

 of E. canadensis, with which this species undoubtedly intergrades. 



3. Elymus canadensis L. Canada wild-rye. Fig. 97. 



Perennial; culms basally decumbent, mostly ascending, 8-15 dm. long; 

 peduncles (at maturity of the spike!) typically 25-45 cm. long, spikes 8-15 cm. 

 long, nodding; spikelets usually paired or less commonly in threes at each node; 

 glumes basally 0.7-1.2 (-1.4) mm. broad, ridge-keeled and fairly straight and 

 diverging at a low angle, tapering into a slender scabrous outbowed awn, never 

 becoming completely indurate but remaining flexible; lemmas glabrous to pubes- 

 cent, with awns mostly 20-35 (-45) mm. long that diverge or curve away from 

 the axis slightly or greatly. Incl. forms that have been called var. brachystachys 

 (Scribn. & Ball) Farw., var. robustus (Scribn. & Sm.) Mack. & Bush and var. 

 villosus (Muhl.) Shinners (£. villosus Muhl.). 



On wet mud along sluggish streams, in seepage areas, marshes and along 

 streams, in Okla. (Haskell Co.), nearly throughout Tex. except s. part of Rio 

 Grande Plains, N. M. (widespread) and Ariz. (Coconino, Apache, Navajo, s. to 

 Cochise and Pima cos.); spring (less commonly summer), nearly throughout 

 temp. N. A. (except Ala., Ga., Fla. and S. C). 



This species is somewhat variable and grades into E. virginicus. 



212 



