Dahurian Wild Rye

Elymus molliusculus is very similar to E. tangutorum in culm height and features of leaf blade, spike, spikelets, and lemma. It is therefore treated here in synonymy.

Four varieties occur in China. In addition, Elymus dahuricus var. brevisetus Ohwi (J. Jap. Bot. 19: 168. 1943) was described from N Shanxi (Ningwu), but no specimens have been seen by the authors.

Plants with fewer-flowered spikelets and shorter glumes and lemmas have been separated as var. micranthus, but variation seems to be more or less continuous between the two extremes.

2000-4700 m.

Culms erect or geniculate at base, 40–140 cm tall, 2–4-noded. Leaf sheath glabrous, or densely pilose at base; leaf blade ± glaucous, flat, rarely rolled, 5–25 × 0.5–1(–1.2) cm, abaxial surface smooth, adaxial surface smooth or scabrous. Spike erect, somewhat dense, 14–18 × 0.5–1 cm; rachis margin ciliolate. Spikelets green or purplish green, usually stramineous at maturity, (1 or)2 per node, 9–15 mm, with 2–5 florets. Glumes lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 7–10 mm, 3–5-veined, scabrous or scabrous-hirsutulous along veins, apex acuminate or with awn to 5 mm. Lemma lanceolate, puberulent, pubescent, or densely hirsutulous throughout; first lemma 7–9 mm; awn straight or recurved, 2–20 mm. Palea equaling lemma, ciliate along keels, ± pubescent between keels, apex narrowly truncate. Fl. and fr. Jun–Aug.

Culms erect or geniculate at base, to 120 cm tall, 4- or 5-noded. Leaf sheath smooth; leaf blade flat, 10–20 × 0.6–1.4 cm, both surfaces scabrous or abaxial surface smooth and adaxial surface pilose. Spike erect, usually dense, 8–15 × 0.8–1 cm; rachis margin ciliolate. Spikelets usually 2 per node, green or slightly purplish, 9–15 mm, with 3 or 4 florets. Glumes lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 7–10 mm, obscurely 5-veined, scabrous or hirsutulous along veins, apex acuminate or with awn 1–3 mm. Lemma lanceolate, glabrous, or hirsutulous distally; first lemma 8–12 mm; awn erect, (3–)5–11 mm. Palea equaling lemma, ciliate along keels, apex narrowly obtuse. Fl. and fr. late summer. 2n = 42.

Culms erect, 60–75 cm tall. Leaf sheath densely villous; leaf blade flat or slightly rolled, 9–15 × 0.3–0.6 cm, villous throughout. Spike slightly curved, 9–12 cm; rachis with swollen nodes, densely hirsute throughout, margin narrowly winged. Spikelets usually 2 per node, or 1 per node at apex and base of spike, 6–10 mm, with 2 or 3 florets. Glumes narrowly lanceolate, 4.5–7.5 mm, 3- or 4-veined, hirsutulous along veins, margin narrowly membranous, apex acuminate or with awn 1.5–2.5 mm. Lemma oblong-lanceolate, scabrous or hispidulous distally; first lemma 7–11 mm. Palea equaling lemma, ciliolate along keels, pubescent between keels. Fl. and fr. late summer.

Tufted perennial; culms 30-130 cm high, erect, slender or stout. Leaf-blades usually flat, convolute when dry, 10-30 cm long, 3-9 mm wide, smooth or scaberulous. Spike erect or sometimes nodding, 7-23 cm long. Spikelets in pairs at the nodes of the rhachis; glumes elliptic, 6-11 mm long (including the awn), almost as long as the body of the lowest lemma, conspicuously 3-5-nerved, acute or produced into a short awn up to 2 mm long; lemma elliptic, 6.5-11 mm long (excluding the awn), produced into a straight or slightly curved awn 8-15 mm long.

Culms robust, ca. 140 cm tall, ca. 6 mm in diam. Leaf sheath glabrous or pubescent at base; leaf blade usually glaucous, flat, 20–30 × 1–1.6 cm, both surfaces scabrous or abaxial surface smooth. Spike erect, robust, 15–22 cm; rachis margin ciliolate. Spikelets 2 or 3(or 4) per node, 2–15(–25) mm excluding awns, with 4 or 5 florets. Glumes narrowly lanceolate, 10–13 mm, 5–7-veined, scabrous along veins, apex with awn ca. 7 mm. Lemma scabrous, glabrous or pubescent distally and at margin; first lemma 8–12 mm; awn reflexed, 15–20(–40) mm, scabrous. Palea slightly shorter than lemma, ciliate along keels, slightly pubescent between keels. Fl. and fr. Jul–Aug. 2n = 42*.

Distribution: Pakistan (N.W.F.P., Gilgit & Kashmir); Central Asia from Afghanistan to Siberia, Mongolia and China.

Nepal, China (Kansu, Yunnan).

Iran, C. Asia, N.W. India, Nepal, N. Asia, China.

Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia].

2700-3000 m

2600-3000 m

Fl. & Fr. Pr.: July-August.

Forest glades, scrub, mountain slopes, valleys, meadows, pebbles, sometimes roadsides and field margins; ca. 2600 m.

* Swales of mountain valleys. Nei Mongol.

Mountain slopes, steppes. Gansu, Guizhou, Hubei, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, ?Nepal].

Scrub, meadows, riverside sands, pebbles and rocks up to lower mountain slopes. Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Nei Mongol, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Yunnan [Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia].

Clinelymus tangutorum Nevski, Bull. Jard. Bot. Acad. Sci. URSS 30: 647. 1932; Elymus molliusculus L. B. Cai.

Clinelymus excelsus (Turczaninow ex Grisebach) Nevski; Elymus dahuricus Turczaninow ex Grisebach subsp. excelsus (Turczaninow ex Grisebach) Tzvelev; E. dahuricus var. exce-lsus (Turczaninow ex Grisebach) Roshevitz.