eastern bottlebrush grass

(Elymus hystrix var. hystrix)

Conservation Status
eastern bottlebrush grass (var. hystrix)
 
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N5 - Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
Wetland Indicator Status
     
  Great Plains

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Midwest

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Northcentral & Northeast

FACU - Facultative upland

     
           
 
Description
 
 

The glumes are usually absent. If present, they are usually greatly reduced in size and scale-like. The lemmas are hairless and smooth or rough to the touch.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

24 to 60

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
  Bigelow’s bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix var. bigeloviana) lemmas are hairy. It is much less common.  
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Dry to moderate moisture. Woods. Partial sun to full shade.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

July to August

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

3, 7, 29, 30.

 
  2/19/2023      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

 

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Liliopsida (monocots)  
 

Order

Poales (grasses, sedges, cattails, and allies)  
 

Family

Poaceae (grasses)  
  No Rank BOP clade  
  Subfamily Pooideae  
  Supertribe Triticodae  
  Tribe Triticeae  
  Subtribe Hordeinae  
 

Genus

Elymus (wild ryes and wheatgrasses)  
  Species Elymus hystrix (eastern bottlebrush grass)  
       
 

Eastern bottlebrush grass was originally described by Carl Linnaeus as Elymus hystrix. In 1794 it was moved to a new genus based on the glumes being long setaceous or absent, and became Hystrix patula. DNA studies have subsequently determined that it does indeed belong to the genus Elymus, and it assumed its original name Elymus hystrix.

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Hystrix hystrix

Hystrix patula

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

bottlebrush grass

eastern bottle-brush grass

eastern bottlebrush grass

glumeless wild-rye

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Glume

A chaffy, empty, sterile bract at the base of a grass spikelet. Glumes usually occur in pairs, but occasionally only one is present.

 

Lemma

The outer, lowermost of the pair of bracts at the base of the grass floret; it ensheaths the palea.

 
 
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Plant

 
    eastern bottlebrush grass (var. hystrix)      
           
 

Inflorescence

 
    eastern bottlebrush grass (var. hystrix)   eastern bottlebrush grass (var. hystrix)  
           
 

Lemmas

 
    eastern bottlebrush grass (var. hystrix)   eastern bottlebrush grass (var. hystrix)  

 

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