familyPoaceae
subfamilyPoaceae subfam. Pooideae
genusElymus
speciesElymus elymoides
subspeciesElymus elymoides subsp. elymoides
Elymus elymoides subsp. elymoides
Common names: Common squirreltail
Synonyms: Elymus sitanion
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 319.
Culms 15-45 cm, erect to decumbent. Blades usually puberulent abaxially, sometimes glabrous. Spikes 4-15 cm, exserted or partly included, usually with 2 spikelets per node. Spikelets with (1)2-3(4) fertile florets, lowest 1-2 florets sterile and glumelike. Glume awns 35-85 mm, often split into 2, sometimes 3, unequal divisions; lemma awns 25-75 mm, usually exceeded by those of the glumes; paleas with the veins extended as bristles.
Discussion
Elymus elymoides subsp. elymoides grows in desert and shrub-steppe areas of western North America, extending to the western edge of the Great Plains and, as an adventive, occasionally further east. It is frequently associated with disturbed sites.
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
None.