Virginia wild rye

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Virginia wild rye

Virginia wild rye ligule

Virginia wild rye

Virginia wild rye

Virginia wild rye inflorescence

Morphology

Culm

Erect, rigid, hollow, glabrous.

Blades

Flat or occasionally rolled inward, 2-12 inches long, to 3/4 inch wide, green or occasionally blue-green, waxy, glabrous, rough or hairy.

Sheath

Open, shorter than internodes, mostly glabrous.

Ligule

Short, membranous, rigid.

Inflorescence

Spikes, stiffly upright, 2-6 inches long, terminal, partially enclosed in upper sheath or protruding completely.

Spikelets

Usually 2 per node, sessile, 2-6-flowered; glumes equal, thick, rigid, yellowish, 1/2 to 1 inch long, 3-8 ribbed, often strongly bowed out at bases, awnless to long-awned; lemmas shorter than glumes, awns straight, 1/4 to 1 inch long.

Ecology

Habitat

Bottomlands, low prairies, stream banks, and edges of woods, in moist, fertile soils.

Distribution

Throughout Kansas.

Practical Information

Forage Value

Virginia wild rye is palatable and nutritious for livestock, but it becomes tough when mature. It makes good hay when cut early.

Additional Notes