Elymus albicans (Scribn. & J.G. Sm.) Á. Löve
Montana wildrye
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Montana wildrye
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial grass from conspicuous rhizomes; stems 40-100 cm tall, the nodes exposed.
Leaves:
Sheaths smooth to hairy; blades 1-3 mm wide, usually in-rolled, with rough upper surfaces, ear-shaped lobes usually present at the leaf-bases, up to 0.8 mm long; ligules up to 0.2-0.5 mm long, fringed with hairs.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a spike 4-14 cm long, 0.3-0.8 cm wide, erect, with 1 spikelet per node; spikelets 10-18 mm long, 1.5-2 times longer than the middle internodes, with 3 to 7 florets; glumes 0.5-0.8 times the length of the lemmas, smooth to rough, weakly keeled, sharply pointed or shortly awned at the tips; lemmas 7.5-9.5 mm long, smooth or densely hairy, the awns 4-12 mm long, strongly curved outward; anthers 3-5 mm long.
Notes:
This taxon is a hybrid between Pseudoroegneria spicata and Elymus lanceolatus (M. Barkworth, pers. comm.)
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Elymus albicans
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
999 | 46 | 2378 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
17 | 0 | 75 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
179 | 73 | 328 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 0 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
44 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
SBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(1), BG(6), BWBS(3), CDF(2), CWH(2), ESSF(6), ICH(1), IDF(5), MS(6), SBS(10) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry alkaline flats, sand dunes, gravelly sites and open forests in the steppe and montane zones; common in NE, SC and SE BC; E to AB and S to NE, CO, UT, ID and WA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Agropyron albicans Scribn. & J.G. Sm.
Agropyron albicans var. albicans
Agropyron albicans var. griffithsii (Scribn. & J.G. Sm. ex Piper) Beetle
Agropyron dasystachyum subsp. albicans (Scribn. & J.G. Sm.) D.R. Dewey
Agropyron griffithii Scribn. & J.G. Sm. ex Piper, orth. var.
Agropyron griffithsii Scribn. & J.G. Sm. ex Piper
Elymus albicans var. griffithsii (Scribn. & J.G. Sm. ex Piper) Dorn
Elymus griffithsii (Scribn. & J.G. Sm. ex Piper) A. Löve
Elymus lanceolatus subsp. albicans (Scribn. & J.G. Sm.) Barkworth & D.R. Dewey
Elymus var. x albicans (Scribn. & J.G. Sm.) A. L˜ve
Elytrigia dasystachya subsp. albicans (Scribn. & J.G. Sm.) D.R. Dewey
Roegneria albicans (Scribn. & J.G. Sm.) Beetle
Roegneria albicans var. griffithsii (Scribn. & J.G. Sm. ex Piper) Beetle