Introductory
SPECIES: Elymus trachycaulus | Slender Wheatgrass 



ABBREVIATION : 
ELYTRA

SYNONYMS : 
   Agropyron caninum (L.) Beauv.
   Agropyron pauciforum (Schwcinitz) A. Hitchc.
   Agropyron tenerum Vaset
   Agropyron trachycaulum (Link) Malte ex H. F. Lewis
   Agropyron subsecundum (Link) A. Hitchc.
   Agropyron violaceum (Hornem.) Lange


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   AGTR
   AGTRC
   AGTRG
   AGTRM
   AGTRN
   AGTRU


COMMON NAMES : 
   slender wheatgrass


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name of slender wheatgrass is Elymus
trachycaulus (Link) Gould ex Shinners in the tribe Triticeae of
Gramineae [38,61,65].  There are at least three subspecies and six
varieties of this species, which differ in awn length, size and degree
of crowding of spikelets, and culm length.  Generally, plants at lower
elevations are tall and slender, bearing long culms, narrow spikes, and
separated spikelets.  Plants at higher elevations have short, thick
culms, dense, shortened spikes, and crowded spikelets.  All possible
gradations between these two growth habits are known to occur [55].
Recognized subspecies and varieties are as follows [23,26,29,56,65]:

     E. t. ssp. latiglumis (Scribn. & J. G. Smith) Barkw. & D. R. Dewey
     E. t. ssp. trachycaulus Bark. & D. R. Dewey
     E. t. ssp. subsecundus (Link) Gould
     E. t. var. andinum (Scribn. & J. G. Smith) Beetle
     E. t. var. ciliatum (Scribn. & J. G. Smith) Gleason
     E. t. var. glaucum (Pease & A. H. Moore) Malte
     E. t. var. majus (Vasey) Fernald
     E. t. var. novae-angliae (Scribn.) Fernald
     E. t. var. unilaterale (Vasey) Malle

Extensive hybridization and introgression occurs in Triticeae.  Slender
wheatgrass produces natural hybrids, some of which are unnamed, with the
following species [26,35,61,65]:

     x Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn. (crested wheatgrass)
     x Elymus canadensis L. (Canada wildrye)
     x E. elymoides (Rafin) Swezey (bottlebrush squirreltail): E. X
       saudersii Vasey (Saunders wheatgrass)
     x E. glaucus Buckley (blue wildrye)            
     x E. lanceolatus (Scribner & J. G. Smith) Gould (thickspike
       wheatgrass: E. X pseudorepens (Scribn. & J. G. Smith) Bark.& D. R.
       Dewey (false quackgrass)
     x E. scribneri (Vasey) M. E. Jones (Scribner wheatgrass): E. X
       brevifolium (Scribn.) Bark. & D. R. Dewey
     x Pseudelymus saxicola Bark. & D. R. Dewey (foxtail wheatgrass)
     


LIFE FORM : 
Graminoid

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
Elymus t. var. unilaterale is listed as endangered by the Illinois
Endangered Species Protection Board [52].


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
Janet L. Howard, May 1992


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
NO-ENTRY


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Howard, Janet L. 1992. Elymus trachycaulus. In: Remainder of Citation

Related categories for Species: Elymus trachycaulus | Slender Wheatgrass