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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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| GIANT WILDRYE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Leymus mollis ssp. mollis | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| American lymegrass grows as tall as 170 cm from rhizomes. The stem is erect and densely hairy below the inflorescence. The leaves are shorter than the inflorescence. The leaves are basal and on the stem and are rough hairy with 20 to 40 veins. Within the inflorescence, there are usually two spikelets per node. The glumes are flat or rounded and usually long-hairy. The lemmas are densely hairy and without awns. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| American lymegrass grows on sandy lake beaches and dunes. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in northern Saskatchewan in the Athabasca Plain and Tazin Lake Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| American lymegrass is vulnerable because it is rare or uncommon. It is regionally restricted to northwestern Saskatchewan. This species is usually locally numerous within limited areas. No immediate threats are known but may occur in the future. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY AMERICAN LYMEGRASS | |||||||||
| * Are the stems tall and robust? * Are the lemmas densely hairy? * Are the glumes rounded or flat and long-hairy? * Did you find it in northern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found American lymegrass! | |||||||||
