Elymus brevipes (Keng & S. L. Chen) S. L. Chen

Löve (Feddes Repert. 95: 467. 1984) did not previously validly publish the combination Elymus brevipes; see the note following the genus description above.

A record of the C Asian and W Himalayan Elymus schugnanicus (Nevski) Tzvelev (Novosti Sist. Vyssh. Rast. 9: 62. 1972; Agropyron schugnanicum Nevski, Bull. Jard. Bot. Acad. Sci. URSS 30: 512. 1932) from Yunnan (Fl. Yunnan. 9: 419–420. 2003, as Roegneria schugnanica (Nevski) Nevski) may be referable to E. brevipes. Lu (Nordic J. Bot. 15: 13–15. 1995) treated the two taxa as conspecific. Alternatively, it may be referable to E. tschimganicus.

Culms solitary or tufted, erect, 30–60 cm tall. Leaf blade involute when dry, rigid, abaxial surface smooth, adaxial surface scabrous. Spike curved or nodding, branched at base, 7–11 cm excluding awns; rachis slender. Spikelets 1 per node, purplish green, ± nitid, 14–22 × 4–7 mm; pedicel 0.5–2 mm. Glumes lanceolate, distinctly 3-veined or distal glume 4-veined, scabrous, apex acute or acuminate; proximal glume 1.5–3 mm; distal glume 3–4.5 mm. Lemma lanceolate, scabrous or subglabrous; first lemma 9–10 mm; awn reflexed, 2.5–3 cm, scabrous. Palea 8–9 mm, puberulent abaxially, ciliate along distal 1/3 of keels, apex truncate. Anthers yellow, 1.5–2.5 mm. Fl. and fr. late summer. 2n = 28*.

* Open rocky mountains. Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, ?Yunnan.

Basionym: Roegneria brevipes Keng, Acta Univ. Nankin. Sci. Nat. 1963(1): 49. 1963; R. breviglumis Keng var. brevipes (Keng) L. B. Cai.