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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE GRASS FAMILY | |||||||||
| The grass family is economically and
ecologically important. Many of the world’s crops are products of
the grasses. In addition, grasses are represented in almost all terrestrial
ecosystems and are an important part of the natural food chain. The grasses have a set of structures unique to the family. These plants can be annual or perennial and are usually herbaceous. The roots are fibrous, but rhizomes or runners may be found in some species. The stems are solitary or tufted, and may be branched. The stems are round with hollow internodes and solid nodes. The leaves are basal or on the stem. The stem leaves are 2-ranked, meaning they are in two vertical rows and are sheathing at the base. A ligule is present where the leaf sheath and the blade meet. The florets are in spikelets which are then arranged into clusters called spikes, racemes, or panicles. The spikelets usually have two glumes at the base and may be one to several-flowered. Sometimes there are sterile florets, which may consist only of the palea and lemma, present above or below the fertile florets. The florets are usually perfect, meaning that they have both male and female parts. The lemma and palea are the two bracts that subtend each floret. The lemma may be awnless or awned from the tip or the back. Each fertile floret has between one and three stamens and one superior ovary with a feathery stigma. The fruit type is a caryopsis or grain and is unique to the grass family. |
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| DIVERSEGLUME WILDRYE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Elymus diversiglumis | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Diverseglume wildrye is a tufted plant that grows up to 150 cm tall from fibrous roots. The stem is hollow and green or bluish. The leaves are up to 40 cm long and are hairy on the nerves of the upper surface. The inflorescences are arching at maturity and the spikelets are somewhat spaced out. There are one to three spikelets at each node of the central axis of the spike. Each spikelet contains two to four florets. The glumes are bristle like or absent. The lemma is hairy and has an awn up to 3 cm long. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Diverseglume wildrye grows in moist rich deciduous woods and thickets. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in central to eastern Saskatchewan in the Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, Boreal Transition, and Mid-Boreal Lowland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Diverseglume wildrye is threatened because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. Possible threats, including habitat loss, have been identified for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY DIVERSEGLUME WILDRYE | |||||||||
| *Are there up to three spikelets at each node of
the central axis of the spike? *Are the glumes bristle-like? *Are the stems tufted and up to 150 cm tall? *Did you find in central or eastern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found diverseglume wildrye! | |||||||||
