Elymus glaucus Buckley

More info for the terms: cover, density, fire use, frequency, restoration, seed

Results of laboratory experiments suggest that blue wildrye seeds may be able to survive
ground surface temperatures generated by moderate-intensity fires.
Approximately 39% of seeds exposed for 5 minutes to temperatures
ranging from 180 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (82-93 oC) germinated, and 17%
exposed to temperatures ranging from 200 to 210 degrees Fahrenheit (93-99 oC)
germinated. This research indicates that on sites where
blue wildrye occurs in the prefire community, viable seed may be
available for establishment in the 1st postfire growing season [78].



Although blue wildrye was not recorded as a component of
the preburn vegetation on seral brush field sites in northern Idaho, it
was recorded on sample plots the 4th growing season after burning
[54] and in both pre- and postfire quaking aspen stands in Colorado.



Fire creates seedbeds that appear to be conducive to the
successful germination and rapid establishment of blue wildrye [16,39,74 86,].
Seedlings develop rapidly on sites where competing vegetation is greatly
reduced. In general, cover of blue wildrye increases for the 1st few
years following fire [12], but abundance and vigor may decline
after 3 or 4 years. On broadcast-seeded burns in the
mountain-brush zone of Utah, blue wildrye established readily and gave high yields for
4 postfire years, but then was suppressed by smooth brome (Bromus inermis) [31].
Mean density of blue wildrye in a California chaparral community
(nonsprouting manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.) and ceanothus
(Ceanothus spp.) is presented below [78]:
Postfire year

prefire 1 2 3 4 5
-------------------------------------------------------
plants/thousandth acre 0.6 0.8 1.8 2.6 3.9 4.7

On ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir communities in the Blue Mountains
of northeastern Oregon, blue wildrye cover and frequency in postfire year
4 were higher on prescribed burned sites than on thinned, thinned-and-burned,
or unburned control sites. Blue wildrye was determined to be an indicator
species for burned sites (P≤0.05). For further information
on the effects of thinning and burning treatments on blue wildrye and
48 other species, see the Research Project Summary of Youngblood and
others' [98] study.

The following Research Project Summaries also provide information on prescribed
fire use and postfire response of plant community species including blue
wildrye:

• Vegetation response to restoration treatments
  in ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir forests of western Montana
  
• Understory recovery after
  low- and high-intensity fires in northern Idaho ponderosa pine forests
  

blue wildrye

More info for the term: cover



The degree to which blue wildrye provides cover for wildlife species has been rated as follows [27]:
UT WY
Pronghorn Poor Poor
Elk Good Good
Mule deer Good Poor
White-tailed deer ---- Poor
Small mammals Fair ----
Small nongame birds Fair ----
Upland game birds Fair ----
Waterfowl Poor ----

More info for the term: cool-season

Blue wildrye is an erect, rapidly developing, cool-season,
native perennial bunchgrass [8,19,39,40]. It is short lived and drought tolerant [13,40,79].
Blue wildrye commonly grows in small tufts of only a few stems [40,90]. Bunches in the Pacific Northwest rarely exceed 4 inches (10 cm) in width [44]. Leaves grow up to 12 inches (30 cm) long and
are chiefly cauline. The blades have a rather rough texture. Culms range in height from 1.9 to 5.9 feet (60-180 cm) and form small, mostly loose tufts [94]. The inflorescence is
a dense, erect, narrow spike approximately 2.4 to 6.4 inches (6-16 cm)
long. Spikelets are 2 or rarely 3 per node or solitary at the
upper and lower nodes, and 2 to 4 flowered [94]. Seeds have an awn that is up to 0.75 inch (1.9 cm) long [72].



The vigorous, fibrous root system is well branched and penetrates deeply [47]. Blue wildrye may produce stolons [41], short rhizomes [35], or lack horizontal stems [43,79].

Blue wildrye is the most common and widely distributed of the western
wildryes (Elymus spp.) [47,90]. It occurs throughout western North
America from Alaska to Ontario southward to New Mexico, northern
Arizona, California, and Mexico. Blue wildrye is rare in the Great Plains
and eastward [19,35,44,94].

More info for the terms: frequency, root crown, severity

Blue wildrye can survive fire. It typically forms small bunches that rarely exceed 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter, and mature aboveground growth generally consists of coarse
leaves and stems [44,92]. Such attributes suggest that this bunchgrass
burns rather quickly, with little heat transferred down into the root
crown [96]. As a result, basal buds located at or just below the ground
surface are not subjected to prolonged heating, and may survive and

sprout. In Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah, blue wildrye is survives fire by sprouting from the root crown and establishing from on-site seeds [10,81].



Because blue wildrye is a short-lived perennial that generally does not
compete well with surrounding vegetation, severity and frequency of
fire or other types of disturbance greatly influence the recovery and
maintenance of this species. In northern Idaho, Mueggler [64] observed
highest frequencies of blue wildrye on sites that had been subjected to
multiple broadcast burns 2 or more times in the previous 30 years.



Blue wildrye occurs in plant communities with varying FIRE REGIMES. The range of fire intervals reported for some species that dominate communities where blue wildrye occurs are listed below. To learn more about the FIRE REGIMES in those communities, refer to the FEIS summary for that species, under "Fire Ecology Or Adaptations."



Community dominant Range (yrs)

----------------------------- -----------

Pacific ponderosa pine 1-40

(Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa)



Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine 25-300+

(P. contorta var. latifolia)



Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir 40-140

(Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca)



quaking aspen 7-80

(Populus tremuloides)



chamise2-90

(Adenostoma fasciculatum)

More info for the terms: competition, cover, duff, forest, fuel, fuel moisture, grassland, habitat type, seed

Blue wildrye is recommended for seeding mixtures for revegetating
burn sites because it exhibits good germination and establishes rapidly
[31,78]. To reintroduce blue wildrye and associated grassland species native to California, McClaran [60] recommends site preparation either by tillage or fire, which should be timed in accordance with the emergence of exotic annual seedlings. In McClaran's study, previously unnoticed remnant natives including blue wildrye showed a flush of growth and an increase in seed set in response to burning. However, blue wildrye may be quickly suppressed by other commonly seeded species. On a site in a grand-fir/pachistima habitat type in north-central Idaho, blue wildrye occurred in pretreatment stands but was essentially eliminated from the burn and seed treatment plots
within 1 year. Increased competition from seeded species may have
been responsible for its decline. Four years after treatment, 46% of the total herbage production on this site consisted of seeded orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata) and slender wheatgrass [54].



Blue wildrye was among 5 grasses measured for canopy coverage before and after moist-fuel and dry-fuel underburns in an Idaho ponderosa pine forest. The underburns were conducted in experimental shelterwood logging units. No-burn, moist-burn, and dry-burn treatments represented a progression of heat treatments on the soil and surface vegetation. Total woody fuel consumption was 24% in the moist burn and 57% in the dry burn. Duff reduction ranged from a low of 10% in the moist sites to a high a 90% in the dry sites. Preburn vegetation was measured prior to logging. In the moist-burn treatment all grass cover, including blue wildrye, was similar to the original vegetation. Also in the moist-burn treatment, blue wildrye responded similarly to the other grasses by showing an increase in canopy cover the summer following burning. In the dry-burn treatment, unlike the other grasses, blue wildrye had disappeared from the test plots by the summer after burning. Canopy cover of grasses other than blue wildrye was reduced or maintained, with the exception of rhizomatous pinegrass (Calamagrostis rubescens), which increased [81].



In a Wyoming study on a quaking aspen site, blue wildrye was among 3 dominant grasses tested for seasonal changes in understory live fuel moisture. Other dominant grasses were California brome and slender wheatgrass. Percent moisture content decreased "as expected" during the summers of 1981 and 1982, but 1982 had 6 times more precipitation than the previous year, leading to considerable variation in overall fuel moisture between the 2 years. Also, in the drier year, moisture content of the grasses averaged 41% higher in a closed stand than in the adjacent open stand, with curing time lagging behind the open stand by 3 weeks [11].



Although blue wildrye forage quality generally improves during the first postfire growing season [23], this may not always occur. In a Wyoming study of the effect of prescribed burning on nutritional status (crude protein and in vitro dry matter) of understory species in quaking aspen, nutritional content of blue wildrye did not differ between burned and unburned plots 3 years after prescribed burning [15].

More info on this topic.

More info for the term: hemicryptophyte

Hemicryptophyte

Blue wildrye occurs from near sea level in California to subalpine
montane sites throughout the Intermountain Region [4,19,44,90]. Within
woodlands and conifer-dominated communities, blue wildrye is frequently
associated with riparian areas [14,93,94,97]. In California it is
present along montane meadow edges and on elevated flats where the
water table falls well below the soil surface through the growing season
[38]. Within big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii var. gerardii)
communities in western North Dakota, this species is usually located on
the lower portions of steep slopes where sites receive water runoff
[39].



Soils: Blue wildrye grows best on moderately moist soils [47,79,90].
Sites are characterized by low fertility and well-drained soils, with
textures ranging from clayey loam to sandy loam [8,40]. Plants are
moderately sensitive to saline soils and are not tolerant
of shallow soils [40,71].



Hassell and others [40] listed the following range of environmental adaptation for blue wildrye
on mountain sites in the Intermountain Region:
Minimum mean annual precipitation >16 inches
Minimum winter temperature -40oF
Inundation during spring runoff (EST) 21-35 days
Ability to grow on shallow soils poor
Heat tolerance good


Blue wildrye is reported from coastal and subalpine elevations up to 11,000 feet (3,352 m) [4,79,80]. Elevational ranges for several western states are as follows:
from sea level to 10,500 feet (0-3,200 m) in CA [68]
6,300 to 11,000 feet (1,921-3,354 m) in CO
4,200 to 8,000 feet (1,280-2,439 m) in MT [27]
2,500 to 5,700 feet (762 to 1,738 m) in OR [37]
4,297 to 10,496 feet (1,310-3,200 m) in UT [94]
5,400 to 10,500 feet (1,280-2,439 m) in WY [27]

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

206 Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir

208 Whitebark pine

210 Interior Douglas-fir

211 White fir

213 Grand fir

216 Blue spruce

217 Aspen

218 Lodgepole pine

219 Limber pine

221 Red alder

233 Oregon white oak

234 Douglas-fir-tanoak-Pacific madrone

235 Cottonwood-willow

237 Interior ponderosa pine

239 Pinyon-juniper

243 Sierra Nevada mixed conifer

244 Pacific ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir

247 Jeffrey pine

250 Blue oak-foothills pine

255 California coast live oak

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

More info for the term: shrub

FRES17 Elm-ash-cottonwood

FRES20 Douglas-fir

FRES21 Ponderosa pine

FRES23 Fir-spruce

FRES26 Lodgepole pine

FRES28 Western hardwoods

FRES29 Sagebrush

FRES34 Chaparral-mountain shrub

FRES35 Pinyon-juniper

FRES36 Mountain grasslands

FRES37 Mountain meadows

FRES38 Plains grasslands

FRES39 Prairie

FRES42 Annual grasslands

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the terms: forest, woodland

K005 Mixed conifer forest

K011 Western ponderosa forest

K012 Douglas-fir forest

K015 Western spruce-fir forest

K016 Eastern ponderosa forest

K017 Black Hills pine forest

K018 Pine-Douglas-fir forest

K020 Spruce-fir-Douglas-fir forest

K021 Southwestern spruce-fir forest

K023 Juniper-pinyon woodland

K024 Juniper steppe woodlands

K025 Alder-ash forest

K026 Oregon oakwoods

K028 Mosaic of K002 and K026

K029 California mixed evergreen forest

K030 California oakwoods

K033 Chaparral

K034 Montane chaparral

K035 Coastal sagebrush

K037 Mountain-mahogany-oak scrub

K038 Great Basin sagebrush

K048 California steppe

K050 Fescue-wheatgrass

K051 Wheatgrass-bluegrass

K055 Sagebrush steppe

K056 Wheatgrass-needlegrass shrubsteppe

K063 Foothills prairie

K066 Wheatgrass-needlegrass

K067 Wheatgrass-bluestem-needlegrass

K074 Bluestem prairie

K098 Northern floodplain forest

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following Rangeland Cover Types (as classified by the Society for Range Management, SRM):

More info for the terms: grassland, shrub, shrubland, woodland

101 Bluebunch wheatgrass

103 Green fescue

110 Ponderosa pine-grassland

201 Blue oak woodland

202 Coast live oak woodland

203 Riparian woodland

204 North coastal shrub

205 Coastal sage shrub

206 Chamise chaparral

207 Scrub oak mixed chaparral

208 Ceanothus mixed chaparral

209 Montane shrubland

214 Coastal prairie

215 Valley grassland

216 Montane meadows

314 Big sagebrush-bluebunch wheatgrass

315 Big sagebrush-Idaho fescue

316 Big sagebrush-rough fescue

401 Basin big sagebrush

402 Mountain big sagebrush

403 Wyoming big sagebrush

411 Aspen woodland

412 Juniper-pinyon woodland

413 Gambel oak

504 Juniper-pinyon pine woodland

612 Sagebrush-grass

906 Broadleaf forest

More info for the term: habitat type

Blue wildrye mortality following fire has not been widely documented.
Indirect evidence indicates that it may be somewhat susceptible to fire.
Leege and Godbolt [54] reported reduced frequencies of blue wildrye 1
year after a spring burn in seral brushfields in a grand fir/pachistima
(Abies grandis/Pachistima myrsinites) habitat type in north-central
Idaho. However, blue wildrye densities showed little change after fire
on chaparral sites in California where nonsprouting forms of manzanita
(Arctostaphylos spp.) and ceanothus (Ceanothus spp.) comprised most of
the prefire overstory vegetation [78].

Blue wildrye is important forage for wild and domestic animals throughout its range [23,47,53,48,63,82,90]. On quaking aspen sites in good condition in parts of Utah, this bunchgrass contributes substantially to forage resources [92]. Naturally regenerating blue wildrye in the Mount St. Helens "blast zone" was a common component of elk diets 5 years post-eruption [62].

Blue wildrye typically occurs as a minor seral component throughout a
wide range of nonforested and forested communities in the western United
States. It reaches its greatest abundance in the woodlands of
the central Rocky Mountains, where it is a common component in quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) and mountain brush communities [1,46]. Classifications listing it as
an indicator or dominant species in vegetation typings are presented below.




Plant communities of the Blue Mountains in eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington [37]

Riparian community type classification of Utah and southeastern Idaho [67]

A vegetation classification system applied to southern California [68]

Foothill oak woodlands of the interior valleys of southwestern Oregon [76]



Common plant associates of blue wildrye in the western United States include alder (Alnus spp.), maple (Acer spp.), sagebrush (Artemisia spp.), brome grasses (Bromus spp.), bluegrasses (Poa spp.), meadow barley (Hordeum brachyantherum), cinquefoil (Potentilla spp.), strawberry (Fragaria spp.), yarrow (Achillea spp.) and asters (Aster spp.) [90].



In Eastern Oregon and Washington common associates are ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) and common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) [37]. In Utah and Colorado blue wildrye is reported in quaking aspen stands [15,92].

More info for the term: graminoid

Graminoid

Although blue wildrye has a fairly well-developed root system, plants
are intolerant of continued heavy grazing. According to Sampson [78], recovery is generally rapid on overgrazed ranges when utilization is suspended. In a 10-year northeastern Oregon study comparing several riparian plant communities under livestock use or exclusion, blue wildrye increased significantly (P less than 0.01), from 0 to 48%, inside exclosures in a ponderosa pine community. Concurrent increases outside the exclosures were not significant [36].



In a grazing-simulation study conducted in a greenhouse, blue wildrye plants were clipped 3 times to within 1 inch (2.5 cm) of the soil surface. Clipping at a 30-day interval "severely retarded" root and shoot production. The decrease in root production due to clipping was greater than the decrease in shoot production. The small root systems of plants clipped at 15- and 30-day intervals appeared inadequate to sustain plant vigor. At the conclusion of the study, blue wildrye had the 2nd lowest overall yield among 6 species tested [16].



Though lacking any official status, blue wildrye was an important component of pristine valley grasslands of California, which are markedly diminished or have been heavily invaded by non-native species [2,50].

More info for the terms: phenology, series

Blue wildrye has been rated good in energy value and poor in protein value [27]. In Humboldt County, California, the protein concentration of blue wildrye differed significantly between 2 soil series (Tyson and Yorkville) during the summer dry season (June-Oct.), but not during the rest of the year. The differences were related to phenology [51].



Nutritional data from the National Academy of Sciences [65] are provided below in percent. Values for each animal are digestible protein, with the exception of the value for domestic rabbits, which is a digestible protein coefficient.




Ash
5.5

Ether extract
2.3

Protein (N x 6.25)
7.3

   cattle
4.1

   domestic goats
3.4

   horses
3.7

   domestic rabbits
4.3

   domestic sheep
3.8

Calcium
0.33

Phosphorus
0.23

AK
AZ
AR
CA
CO
HI
ID
IL
IN
IA

MI
MN
MO
MT
NV
NM
NY
ND
OR
SD

UT
WA
WY










 

AB
BC
MB
NT
ON
SK
YT








MEXICO

Blue wildrye is included in a living collection of perennial Triticeae grasses in Logan, Utah. The collection is maintained by the USDA and the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station for applied research as well as genetics, evolution, taxonomy, and other elements of basic research [24].



Blue wildrye seeds were probably used historically as food by the Salish of Vancouver Island [89].

Blue wildrye is rated as only fair in forage quality because of its coarse
foliage [40,47]. Although plants are grazed into the summer, most use
occurs in the early spring. New growth is highly palatable to horses
and cattle; plants are utilized less extensively by domestic sheep. The
awned seedheads are generally not consumed [47,90].



The degree of use shown by livestock and wildlife species for blue
wildrye in several western states is rated as follows [27]: CO MT UT WY

Cattle Good Good Good Good
Domestic sheep Fair Fair Fair Good
Horses Good Good Good Good
Pronghorn ---- ---- Poor ----
Elk ---- ---- Good Good
Mule deer ---- ---- Good Poor
White-tailed deer ---- ---- ---- Fair
Small mammals ---- ---- Good Good
Small nongame birds ---- ---- Good Good
Upland game birds ---- ---- Good Fair
Waterfowl ---- ---- Poor Fair

More info on this topic.

More info for the terms: seed, series

Blue wildrye produces good growth during the cool part of the
grazing season in California; seed ripens in early July in the foothills
and in late August at higher elevations [47]. Anthesis data for several
western states are presented below [27]: State Earliest flowering Latest flowering

CO June August
MT June August
ND July August
UT June August
WY July August
In a northern California study of blue wildrye on 2 different soil series, blue wildrye began its annual cycle at the beginning of the rainy season in October, and vegetative development continued throughout the rainy season. During the summer dry season, however, the grass matured more rapidly on the Yorkville series soil than on the Tyson series soil. By the 2nd month of the dry season, it was quiescent on the Yorkville site but never became quiescent on the more shady and moist Tyson site [51].

More info for the terms: root crown, seed

Blue wildrye is often "an abundant and characteristic species of old
burns and cutover areas" [78,90,92], but few studies have dealt
specifically with the postfire response of this species. Limited
information indicates that blue wildrye depends in part on residual plant
survival and subsequent seed regeneration for postfire establishment.
Powell [72] reports that that fire creates an excellent seedbed following moderate-severity burns in mixed-conifer forests, and that most postfire regeneration in those forests may be from surviving seedbank propagules.



Tillering can occur from surviving basal buds located on the root
crown. Plants in the Great Plains may also regenerate via short rhizomes [35]. Blue wildrye in the Pacific Northwest is rarely rhizomatous [6,33,43].

More info for the terms: graminoid, initial off-site colonizer, secondary colonizer, seed, tussock

Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)

Initial off-site colonizer (off-site, initial community)

Secondary colonizer - on-site seed

Tussock graminoid

Surface rhizome/chamaephytic root crown

More info for the terms: forest, scarification, seed, stratification

Abundant seed is usually produced in California [79] and elsewhere. In a seedbank study in eastern Washington, blue wildrye was found to be the 6th most common viable plant species (out of a total of 57 viable species) in 4-inch (10 cm) deep soil samples collected from an intermediate-successional-stage ponderosa pine forest [73]. Data summarized by Fulbright and others [32] indicate that seeds have a germinative capacity of 80 to 85%. Seed stratification or scarification is not necessary for adequate germination. Ripe seeds collected in western Colorado in late summer were nondormant when tested within a few months, had high germination percentages under various photoperiods and thermoperiods, and germinated both unstratified and cold stratified [45]. Seeds remain viable for 2 to 4 years [32], but one study showed percentage germination of mature, cleaned seed stored at 59 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (15-30
oC) dropped sharply after 2 years [59] .



Blue wildrye also regenerates via rhizomes [35,37,93], stolons [19,35], and tillering [19,72].

More info on this topic.

This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

1 Northern Pacific Border

2 Cascade Mountains

3 Southern Pacific Border

4 Sierra Mountains

5 Columbia Plateau

6 Upper Basin and Range

7 Lower Basin and Range

8 Northern Rocky Mountains

9 Middle Rocky Mountains

10 Wyoming Basin

11 Southern Rocky Mountains

12 Colorado Plateau

15 Black Hills Uplift

16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands

More info on this topic.

More info for the terms: basal area, cover, forest, frequency, succession, woodland

Blue wildrye is typically favored by disturbance [3,31,54,72,90]. On sites in the Pacific Northwest, plants are often locally abundant on old burns and cutover areas [64,90]. Other common
sites include avalanche chutes, woodland openings, prairies, and "dry"
wetlands [17,37,44,90]. It is a common early seral component of both nonforested and
forested communities throughout the central Rocky Mountain region.
While sometimes locally abundant, this shade tolerant bunchgrass rarely
forms dense, pure stands [79,90,92,94]. Plants are apparently favored by
disturbances such as burning and logging [3,54,90,87]. Merrill and others [62] report this species in early successional stands in the Mount St. Helens volcanic blast zone. Although blue wildrye
rapidly establishes and increases under early seral conditions, numbers may decline dramatically after 3 to 4 years without further disturbance [31,40].



A Colorado succession study in 25 high-elevation quaking aspen stands, 1st conducted in 1964 and repeated in 1994, showed a marked increase in blue wildrye cover over 30 years. The increase was concurrent with a shift in the number of quaking aspen trees towards fewer, larger trees without a change in total basal area. Most other understory species remained constant. Over the 30-year period livestock grazing was limited or nonexistent on the study sites [18].



In a postfire succession study spanning 17 years in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, blue wildrye was rare in unburned subalpine fir-Engelmann spruce-lodgepole pine (Abies lasiocarpa-Picea engelmannii-Pinus contorta) forest, but began appearing in adjacent severely burned areas within 2 years after fire, reaching greater than 5% cover. [28].



In a California old-field succession study where a cultivated field surrounded by foothill woodland was abandoned in 1937 then studied until 1966, blue wildrye was present in 1944 and 1951 but was less abundant by 1951. It was not found in 1966, although it was present in adjacent blue oak (Quercus douglasii)/chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) woodland sampled in 1963 [95].



In an Oregon riparian ponderosa pine community where livestock were excluded for 10 years, blue wildrye increased significantly (P less than 0.01), from 0 to 48% frequency [36].

The scientific name of blue wildrye is Elymus glaucus
Buckley (Poaceae) [5,35,41,44,49,94]. Recognized subspecies are:



E. g. ssp. glaucus

E. g. ssp. jepsonii (Burtt Davy) Gould

E. g. ssp. virescens (Piper) A. Love [5,41,49].



Blue wildrye hybridizes with bottlebrush squirreltail (E. elymoides), Parish wheatgrass (E. stebbinsii), and slender wheatgrass (E. trachycaulus) [41].

More info for the terms: forest, grassland, restoration, seed, shrub, tree, wildfire, woodland

Blue wildrye seed is available through commercial producers [2,21]. Blue wildrye is unusual in that its growth appears to be compatible with tree regeneration [40]. It has been recommended for revegetation on quaking aspen and mountain brush sites in Utah [71]. Its success was rated as excellent in a 1953 seeding trial in green fescue (Festuca viridula) grassland of north-central Washington state [84]. Abundant seed production, good germination, and relatively rapid seedling growth result in rapid blue wildrye establishment [31,40,71].



Although blue wildrye is most often associated with moist woodland sites
throughout its range, this species is drought tolerant and persists on severe sites in California [79,90]. In some montane shrub and montane grassland sites receiving less than 18 inches (480 mm) mean annual precipitation, stands begin to decline dramatically 3 to 4 years after establishment and may disappear within 10 years after seeding [40].



Blue wildrye seed has been used successfully in California as a native restoration species on sites cleared of exotic brush [75] and pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) [66]. Also in California,
1-year-old plants propagated from local native seed were successfully transplanted to test plots in disturbed, weedy sites. Blue wildrye establishment was more successful in unmulched plots than in mulched plots [69].



This species has been included in ongoing native plant restoration projects and research in Yellowstone, Glacier, and Mount Rainier national parks [57,58,77], and Mt. Hood National Forest in Oregon [83].



Hassell and others [40] recommend only using seed from local sources,
preferably from within 300 miles (500 km) and 1,500 feet (500 m)
elevation of the intended site. Libby and Rodrigues [55] discuss the potential for "genetic contamination" of native populations of blue wildrye by commercially produced seed. They question the use of a single collection over a very large area. They concluded, however, that contamination was unlikely in the case of a large, stand-replacing 1991 Oakland-Berkeley Hills wildfire that was reseeded on a large scale by species including blue wildrye. This was based in part on the use of commercially-produced seed propagated from locally collected native sources.

Perennials, Terrestrial, not aquatic, Stem s nodes swollen or brittle, Stems erect or ascending, Stems caespitose, tufted, or clustered, Stems terete, round in cross section, or polygonal, Stem internodes hollow, Stems with inflorescence less than 1 m tall, Stems, culms, or scapes exceeding basal leaves, Leaves mostly cauline, Leaves conspicuously 2-ranked, distichous, Leaves sheathing at base, Leaf sheath mostly open, or loose, Leaf sheath smooth, glabrous, Leaf sheath and blade differentiated, Leaf blades linear, Leaf blade auriculate, Leaf blades 2-10 mm wide, Leaf blades 1-2 cm wide, Leaf blades mostly flat, Leaf blade margins folded, involute, or conduplicate, Leaf blades mostly glabrous, Leaf blades scabrous, roughened, or wrinkled, Ligule present, Ligule an unfringed eciliate membrane, Inflorescence terminal, Inflorescence simple spikes, Inflorescence a dense slender spike-like panicle or raceme, branches contracted, Inflorescence solitary, with 1 spike, fascicle, glomerule, head, or cluster per stem or culm , Inflorescence single raceme, fascicle or spike, Inflorescence spikelets arranged in a terminal bilateral spike, Flowers bisexual, Spikelets pedicellate, Spikelets sessile or subsessile, Spikelets laterally compressed, Spikelet less than 3 mm wide, Spikelets with 2 florets, Spikelets with 3-7 florets, Spikelets solitary at rachis nodes, Spikelets paired at rachis nodes, Spikelets all alike and fertille, Spikelets bisexual, Spikelets disarticulating above the glumes, glumes persistent, Spikelets disarticulating beneath or between the florets, Rachilla or pedicel hairy, Rachilla or pedicel glabrous, Glumes present, empty bracts, Glumes 2 clearly present, Glumes equal or subequal, Glumes shorter than adjacent lemma, Glumes equal to or longer than adjacent lemma, Glumes awned, awn 1-5 mm or longer, Glumes 3 nerved, Glumes 4-7 nerved, Lemmas thin, chartaceous, hyaline, cartilaginous, or membranous, Lemma similar in texture to glumes, Lemma 5-7 nerved, Lemma glabrous, Lemma body or surface hairy, Lemma apex acute or acuminate, Lemma distinctly awned, more than 2-3 mm, Lemma with 1 awn, Lemma awn 1-2 cm long, Lemma awn 2-4 cm long or longer, Lemma awned from tip, Lemma awns straight or curved to base, Lemma margins thin, lying flat, Lemma straight, Palea present, well developed, Palea membranous, hyaline, Palea about equal to lemma, Palea longer than lemma, Stamens 3, Styles 2-fid, deeply 2-branched, Stigmas 2, Fruit - caryopsis, Caryopsis ellipsoid, longitudinally grooved, hilum long-linear, Caryopsis hairy at apex.

Elymus glaucus is a species of grass known as blue wild rye or blue wildrye. This grass is native to North America from Alaska to New York to northern Mexico. It is a common and widespread species of wild rye.

Elymus glaucus là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Hòa thảo. Loài này được Buckley mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1862 publ. 1863.