Leymus salina is a species of grass known as Salina wildrye, Salina Pass wild rye,[1] and saline wildrye.[2] It is native to the western United States[3] and is named for its type locality: Salina Pass, Utah.[4]

Leymus salina

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Genus: Leymus
Species:
L. salina
Binomial name
Leymus salina
Synonyms
  • Elymus salinus M.E.Jones
  • Leymus salinus orth. var.

Subspecies

edit

There are three subspecies, including:[2]

  • Leymus salina subsp. salina
  • Leymus salina subsp. mojavensisMojave wildrye
  • Leymus salina subsp. salmonissalmon wildrye

Description

edit

Salina pass wild rye is a perennial grass forming dense clumps of stems up to 1.4 meters in height. It sometimes has rhizomes. The leaves are mostly located around the bases of the stems. The inflorescence is a spike with spikelets mostly solitary or sometimes paired. Each spikelet contains up to 6 flowers.[3]

Habitat

edit

This plant grows in a number of habitat types in the western United States. It is sometimes a dominant species in pinyon-juniper woodlands and Gambel oak woodlands. In Colorado it is often codominant with Wyoming big sagebrush, shadscale, and Gardner's saltbush.[3]

References

edit
  1. ^ Calflora: Elymus salinus (Salina pass wild rye)
  2. ^ a b Leymus salinus. USDA Plants Profile.
  3. ^ a b c Anderson, Michelle D. 2004. Leymus salinus. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
  4. ^ Leymus salinus. Archived 2012-06-15 at the Wayback Machine Grass Manual Treatment.