Relatives

Elymus subfibrosus (Tzvelev) Tzvelev - Fibrous Couch, Fibrous Wild Rye.

Taxonomic position.

Family Poaceae Benth. genus Elymus L.

Morphology and biology.

Perennial grass. Forms mats. Culms 25-80 cm tall, with 2-4 nodes, glabrous and smooth, rarely scabrous under inflorescence. Sheaths glabrous or those of lower leaves more or less hairy; ligule 0.4-1.4 mm long; leaf blades 2-7 mm wide, flat, usually glabrous but scabrous, less often hairy on upper or both surfaces. Spikes 6-20(30) cm long, sometimes with very remote spikelets in lower part of spike (at 10-20 mm). Spikelets large, with 2-4(7) florets, rachilla segments hairy. Glumes 4-8 mm long, 3-5-veined, almost twice as short as adjacent lemma, glabrous and smooth internally, scabrous externally, with broad scarious margin, at apex abruptly sharpened or with cusps up to 1 mm long. Lemma 8-12(18) mm long, awnless or with awn up to 2 mm, usually hairy at base and sides, less often glabrous. Anthers 1-1.5 mm long. Flowers in July - August. Anemophilous. 2n=28.

Distribution.

Endemic: West and East Siberia, Far East.

Ecology.

On sands and shingles in river valleys, in flood-plain meadows, on exposed dry debris slopes, less often among shrubberies.

Use and economic value.

Forage grass.

References:

Kharkevich SS., ed. 1985. Vascular plants of the Soviet Far East. V.1. Leningrad: Nauka. 398 p. (In Russian).
Malyshev LI., Peshkova GA., ed. 1990. Flora of Siberia. V.4. Poaceae (Gramineae). Novosibirsk: Nauka. 361 p. (In Russian).
Tzvelev NN. 1976. Grasses of the Soviet Union. Leningrad: Nauka. 788 p. (In Russian).

© L.L.Malyshev

© Photo by N.Yu.Malysheva, L.L.Malyshev
 

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