Elymus violaceus


Elymus violaceus, many synonyms including Elymus sierrae, is a species of wild rye.
It is a perennial grass with stems growing 30 to 50 centimeters long and decumbent along the ground at maturity. The inflorescence is a series of single-spikelet nodes a few centimeters long, each spikelet with an outward-curved awn up to 2.5 centimeters long.

Distribution

Elymus violaceus is very widely distributed, being native from eastern Siberia to the Russian Far East, and to most of North America. It has been introduced to much of Europe and temperate Asia.

Conservation

Under the synonym Elymus sierrae and known as Sierra wild rye, it has been considered to be restricted to California and Nevada and vulnerable. Plants of the World Online regards Elymus sierrae as a synonym of Elymus violaceus, which has a very widespread distribution.