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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
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Introductory
SPECIES: Leymus innovatus | Boreal Wildrye
ABBREVIATION :
LEYINN
SYNONYMS :
Elymus innovatus
SCS PLANT CODE :
ELIN4
COMMON NAMES :
boreal wildrye
hairy wildrye
hairy wild rye
fuzzyspike wildrye
lyme grass
Northern wildrye
TAXONOMY :
The 1985 treatment by Barkworth and Dewey recommends Leymus innovatus
(Beal) Pilger as the scientific name for boreal wildrye [1]. However,
Elymus innovatus is still commonly used in the literature. Two
varieties that were recognized under Elymus innovatus were E. innovatus
var. innovatus and E. innovatus var. velutinus [13].
LIFE FORM :
Graminoid
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
Boreal wildrye is considered rare in northwestern Montana. It is known
to occur only along the Belly River, 3 miles south of the Canadian
border in Glacier National Park. This is the southern edge of its range
[27].
COMPILED BY AND DATE :
Tara Y. Williams, May 1990
LAST REVISED BY AND DATE :
NO-ENTRY
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Williams, T. Y. 1990. Leymus innovatus. In: Remainder of Citation
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Leymus innovatus | Boreal Wildrye
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Boreal wildrye is distributed from Alaska, south to British Columbia,
Alberta, Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota [12]. It is found in the
upper Great Plains, northern Rockies, Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and
throughout Canada.
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES19 Aspen - birch
FRES23 Fir - spruce
FRES26 Lodgepole pine
STATES :
AK MT WY SD ND AB BC SK
ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS :
GLAC DENA
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K008 Lodgepole pine - subalpine forest
K015 Western spruce - fir forest
K107 Northern hardwoods - fir forest
SAF COVER TYPES :
16 Aspen
18 Paper birch
201 White spruce
206 Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir
218 Lodgepole pine
251 White spruce - aspen
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Boreal wildrye is a common understory dominant in lodgepole pine (Pinus
contorta) forests. It is commonly reported in Alberta, Canada.
Published classification schemes listing boreal wildrye as a dominant
part of the vegetation are presented below.
Field guide to forest ecosystems of west-central Alberta [7]
The Pinus contorta forests of Banff and Jasper National Parks: a study
in comparitive synecology and syntaxonomy [15]
The vegetation of Alberta [20]
VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Leymus innovatus | Boreal Wildrye
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
On ranges where it is a dominant species, boreal wildrye may be grazed
extensively by Stone sheep, elk, and bison [5,25]. Overall, it is rated
as poor to fair forage for wildlife and livestock [9]. Boreal wildrye
was found to be an important part of the diet of feral horses in
Alberta, presumably due to its abundance rather than its palatability.
It was especially important during the winter when other species were
not available [28]. Morgantini and Hudson [18] reported that elk
consumption of boreal wildrye in Alberta rose from 1 percent to 15 to 18
percent during hunting season, as use of the surrounding aspen (Populus
tremuloides) forest increased.
PALATABILITY :
Studies analyzing the percent composition of boreal wildrye in the diets
of elk and bison indicate that it is not a very palatable species. One
report found that, although boreal wildrye was a major component of the
vegetation and occurred at 33.3 to 81.8 percent frequency in the diet,
it made up only 0.2 to 1.1 percent composition of the diet in bison [5].
Similarly, another study found that while grass made up 70.6 percent of
elk diet on intermediate season ranges, boreal wildrye accounted for
only 3.6 to 7.8 percent composition in the diet [19]. In both cases,
boreal wildrye was abundant on the ranges. It was eaten frequently but
only in small amounts.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
The nutritive value of boreal wildrye is rated as moderate to low.
Percent digestible protein ranged from 0.5 in the weathered stage to 5.8
in the leaf stage. On a nutritive value index with clipped, dried
alfalfa (Medicago sativa) receiving a score of 100, boreal wildrye had a
mean score of 39.5. Other grasses in the study rated mean scores from
16.3 to 58.3 [3].
COVER VALUE :
On ranges where it forms continuous stands, boreal wildrye may provide
cover for some birds and small mammals.
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Boreal wildrye was a frequent species on several abandoned coal mine
sites in Canada, indicating that it may have good potential for
revegetation at high elevations [24]. Rhizomatous wildrye grasses are
good soil binders [12]. It can provide erosion control without
inhibiting the growth of other forbs and shrubs [8].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
NO-ENTRY
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Boreal wildrye is rare in Glacier National Park but apparently is not
currently threatened [27]. At its periphery, a species may be valuable
as an indicator of habitat changes, such as climatic shifts. For
example, if global warming were to take place, a boreal species may
retreat north.
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Leymus innovatus | Boreal Wildrye
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Boreal wildrye is a perennial, native, cool-season grass. It is
rhizomatous but tends to form clumps. It is slightly pubescent below
the nodes and inflorescence. The culms are mostly 16 to 32 inches
(40-80 cm) tall [12].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Hemicryptophyte
Geophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Boreal wildrye will reproduce either sexually or asexually via rhizomes.
La Roi and Hnatiuk [15] report that it reproduces asexually in low
light. Pollination and seed dispersal may aided by wind and gravity, as
well as by some animals.
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Boreal wildrye grows in sandy meadows, along streambanks, on rocky
hillsides, and commonly in open lodgepole pine or spruce (Picea spp.)
forests. It grows in soils that have been described as dry to moist,
fresh (slightly moist) to moderately moist, droughty, and rapidly to
well drained [6,7,9]. It has commonly been reported from upper montane
mesic to submesic sites [7,15]. It has been reported at the following
elevations:
State elev. (ft) elev. (m) reference
AK 540 - 1,440 180 - 480 [5]
BC 3,000 - 5,040 1000 - 1680 [4,26]
AB 3,750 - 5,700 1250 - 1900 [7,15,19,21]
MT 4,140 - 4,600 1380 - 1530 [9]
Boreal wildrye is most commonly found in lodgepole pine forests. Other
common associates include russet buffaloberry (Shepherdia canadensis),
bluejoint reedgrass (Calamagrostis canadensis), rough fescue (Festuca
scabrella), jack pine (Pinus banksia), and white spruce (Picea glauca).
It is frequently competitive with bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
and longtube twinflower (Linnaea borealis) [3,4,5,6,7,15,21].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Facultative Seral Species
Boreal wildrye is a midseral species, since it is more likely to be
growing in areas that have been previously burned or disturbed than
areas that have not [25,26]. It is often found on previously burned
sites [7,15,25,26] and has been reported on sites 4 to 100 years after a
fire [5,21].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Boreal wildrye begins to green in March and April in Alberta [28]. It
flowers in June and July [12] and has been reported to remain in flower
until early September in Montana [27].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Leymus innovatus | Boreal Wildrye
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Boreal wildrye has underground rhizomes, which may survive fire. It may
sprout from these rhizomes, taking advantage of sites that have been
opened by the fire [25].
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil
Tussock graminoid
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Leymus innovatus | Boreal Wildrye
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
The entire aboveground portion of boreal wildrye is consumed in most
fires. Belowground rhizomes may escape harm, especially during
fast-spreading fires in light surface fuels where little heat is
projected downward into the soil.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Boreal wildrye reproduces asexually following a fire by sprouting from
its rhizomes. It is reportedly common in postfire stands ranging from 4
to 100 years [5,21,25,26]. Apparently, it is able to spread by rhizomes
following a fire and ramain dominant for a long time. In one case
boreal wildrye made up 48 percent of the understory composition in a
burned subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) forest. It made up only 10
percent composition in an unburned subalpine clearing [25].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Boreal wildrye populations do not seem to be seriously injured by fire.
In fact, fire is probably beneficial to the species. However, increases
of boreal wildrye may not be desirable as this grass is not very
palatable or nutritious for wildlife and livestock [3,5,19].
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Leymus innovatus | Boreal Wildrye
REFERENCES :
1. Forwood, J. R.; Owensby, C. E.; Towne, G. 1985. Nutrient removal rates
from ruminoreticula of cattle grazing Kansas Flint Hills range. Journal
of Range Management. 38(1): 70-72. [939]
2. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
[434]
3. Bezeau, L. M.; Johnston, A. 1962. In vitro digestibility of range forage
plants of the Festuca scabrella association. Canadian Journal of Plant
Science. 42: 692-697. [441]
4. Brink, V. C.; Luckhurst, A.; Morrison, D. 1972. Productivity estimates
from alpine tundra in British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Plant
Science. 52: 321-323. [11491]
5. Campbell, Bruce H.; Hinkes, Mike. 1983. Winter diets and habitat use of
Alaska bison after wildfire. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 11(1): 16-21.
[8389]
6. Chrosciewicz, Z. 1978. Slash and duff reduction by burning on clear-cut
jack pine sites in central Saskatchewan. Information Report NOR-X-200.
Edmonton, AB: Forestry Service, Fisheries and Environment Canada,
Northern Forest Research Centre. 12 p. [7288]
7. Corns, I. G. W.; Annas, R. M. 1986. Field guide to forest ecosystems of
west-central Alberta. Edmonton, AB: Canadian Forestry Service, Northern
Forestry Centre. 251 p. [8998]
8. Densmore, R. V.; Holmes, K. W. 1987. Assisted revegetation in Denali
National Park, Alaska, U.S.A. Arctic and Alpine Research. 19(4):
544-548. [6078]
9. Dittberner, Phillip L.; Olson, Michael R. 1983. The plant information
network (PIN) data base: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and
Wyoming. FWS/OBS-83/86. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior,
Fish and Wildlife Service. 786 p. [806]
10. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
11. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
12. Hitchcock, C. Leo; Cronquist, Arthur; Ownbey, Marion. 1969. Vascular
plants of the Pacific Northwest. Part 1: Vascular cryptograms,
gymnosperms, and monocotyledons. Seattle, WA: University of Washington
Press. 914 p. [1169]
13. Kartesz, John T.; Kartesz, Rosemarie. 1980. A synonymized checklist of
the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. Volume
II: The biota of North America. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North
Carolina Press; in confederation with Anne H. Lindsey and C. Richie
Bell, North Carolina Botanical Garden. 500 p. [6954]
14. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
15. La Roi, George H.; Hnatiuk, Roger J. 1980. The Pinus contorta forests of
Banff and Jasper National Parks: a study in comparative synecology and
syntaxonomy. Ecological Monographs. 50(1): 1-29. [8347]
17. Lyon, L. Jack; Stickney, Peter F. 1976. Early vegetal succession
following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall
Timbers fire ecology conference and Intermountain Fire Research Council
fire and land management symposium; 1974 October 8-10; Missoula, MT. No.
14. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 355-373. [1496]
18. Morgantini, Luigi E.; Hudson, Robert J. 1985. Changes in diets of wapiti
during a hunting season. Journal of Range Management. 38(1): 77-79.
[11492]
19. Morgantini, Luigi E.; Hudson, Robert J. 1989. Nutritional significance
of wapiti (Cervus elaphus) migrations to alpine ranges in western
Alberta, Canada. Arctic and Alpine Research. 21(3): 288-295. [9669]
20. Moss, E. H. 1955. The vegetation of Alberta. Botanical Review. 21(9):
493-567. [6878]
21. Prescott, C.E.; Corbin,J.P.; Parkinson, D. 1989. Biomass, productivity,
and nutrient-use efficiency of aboveground vegetation in four rocky
mountain coniferous forests. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 19:
309-317. [6691]
22. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
24. Russell, W. B. 1985. Vascular flora of abandoned coal-mined land, Rocky
Mountain Foothills, Alberta. Canadian Field-Naturalist. 99(4): 503-516.
[10461]
25. Seip, Dale R.; Bunnell, Fred L. 1985. Species composition and herbage
production of mountain rangelands in northern British Columbia. Canadian
Journal of Botany. 63: 2077-2080. [2104]
26. Seip, D. R.; Bunnell, F. L. 1985. Nutrition of Stone's sheep on burned
and unburned ranges. Journal of Wildlife Management. 49(2): 397-405.
[4550]
27. Lesica, Peter. 1984. Rare vascular plants of Glacier National Park,
Montana. Missoula, MT: University of Montana, Department of Botany. 27
p. [12049]
28. Salter, R. E.; Hudson, R. J. 1979. Feeding ecology of feral horses in
western Alberta. Journal of Range Management. 32(3): 221-225. [11490]
29. Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p. [20090]
30. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1982.
National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names.
SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p. [11573]
Index
Related categories for Species: Leymus innovatus
| Boreal Wildrye
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