Elymus virginicus var. virginicus

Endemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 300.

Plants not glaucous, usually becoming yellowish-brown, occasionally somewhat purplish at maturity. Culms (30) 40-90 (130) cm; nodes usually 4-8, concealed or exposed; auricles and ligules sometimes pronounced. Blades 3-18 mm wide, lax or involute, usually scabridulous, rarely pubescent. Spikes 4-16 (22) cm, partly sheathed; spikelets smooth or scabridulous, not glaucous; glumes 1-2 (2.3) mm wide, indurate and bowed out in the basal 2-4 mm. Anthesis mid-june to late July.

Distribution

Del., D.C., Wis., Alta., B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr. (Labr.), N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask., Ariz., Ga., N.C., Pa., S.C., S.Dak., W.Va., Wyo., Fla., N.H., N.J., N.Mex., Tex., La., Conn., N.Y., N.Dak., Tenn., R.I., Va., Md., Ala., Ark., Vt., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Maine, Kans., Nebr., Okla., Mass., Ohio, Mo., Minn., Mich., Miss., Ky.

Discussion

Elymus virginicus var. virginicus grows in moist to damp or rather dry soil, mostly on bottomland or fertile uplands, in open woods, thickets, tall forbs, or weedy sites. It is widespread and abundant in the eastern range of the species, but also overlaps with var. jejunus in the Great Plains, east to Texas and Manitoba. Its dimensions have much genetic and phenotypic variation (Brooks 1974). It occasionally hybridizes with sympatric Elymus species, including E. riparius (p. 302), and even with Hordeum (Bowden 1958; Church 1958; Pohl 1959; Nelson and Tyrl 1978). In its eastern range, most plants are distinctively short, reaching only 30-90 cm, with sheathed spikes 6-10 cm long. In more open or drier environments, especially in midwestern regions, plants are often more glaucous, robust, and exserted, grading into var. jejunus. Awn length increases towards the south, suggesting introgression with E. glabriflorus (p. 296) (Davies 1980). Pubescent blades are generally absent, but appear more frequently in Wisconsin and perhaps other northern areas.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

membranous +  and scarious +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
with hairs +  and scabrous +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (?) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
bidentate +  and acute +
Mary E. Barkworth +, Julian J.N. Campbell +  and Bjorn Salomon +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (?) +  and 15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (?) +
straight +
basal +  and apical +
from the sinus +  and terminal +
not geniculate +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
keeled +  and rounded +
3-5(8)-veined +  and sheathed +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
not evident +
scabridulous +
cross +, linear +  and narrowly lanceolate +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br />) +
spikelike +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
hairy +  and glabrous +
not branching +
sometimes strongly decumbent +  and prostrate +
erect +  and slightly decumbent +
40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br /> (90 cm900 mm <br />0.9 m <br />) +
not woody +
Del. +, D.C. +, Wis. +, Alta. +, B.C. +, Man. +, N.B. +, Nfld. and Labr. (Labr.) +, N.S. +, Ont. +, P.E.I. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Ariz. +, Ga. +, N.C. +, Pa. +, S.C. +, S.Dak. +, W.Va. +, Wyo. +, Fla. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Mex. +, Tex. +, La. +, Conn. +, N.Y. +, N.Dak. +, Tenn. +, R.I. +, Va. +, Md. +, Ala. +, Ark. +, Vt. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Maine +, Kans. +, Nebr. +, Okla. +, Mass. +, Ohio +, Mo. +, Minn. +, Mich. +, Miss. +  and Ky. +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
3 +  and 4 +
laterally compressed +  and terete +
(0)1-7-veined +
shorter than to longer than the adjacent florets +
scabridulous +  and smooth +
subequal +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
1mm +  and 2mm +
uncinate +
solid +  and hollow +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (?) +
3mm +  and 5mm +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (2.6 cm26 mm <br />0.026 m <br />) +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
ciliate +  and scabrous +
distributed +
villous-hirsute +  and glabrous +
scabridulous +
linear-lanceolate +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
stiffly membranous +  and coriaceous +
erose +  and entire +
acute +, rounded +  and truncate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
lanceolate +
fleshy +  and membranous +
exposed +  and concealed +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
4 +  and 8 +
2 +  and 1 +
hairy +  and glabrous +
well-developed +
slightly longer +
subequal +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
dry +  and fleshy +
spikelike +
hirsute +  and glabrous +
22 cm220 mm <br />0.22 m <br /> (?) +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (?) +  and 16 cm160 mm <br />0.16 m <br /> (?) +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (16 cm160 mm <br />0.16 m <br />) +
subsessile +  and sessile +
bisexual +  and sterile +
terete +  and compressed +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
not papillate +
Gramineae +
Elymus virginicus var. virginicus +
Elymus virginicus +
variety +
membranous +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br />) +
inconspicuous +
unequal +
purplish +  and yellowish-brown +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +