Downy Ryegrass

boreal wildrye
hairy wildrye
hairy wild rye
fuzzyspike wildrye
lyme grass
Northern wildrye

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].

More info for the term: cover

On ranges where it forms continuous stands, boreal wildrye may provide
cover for some birds and small mammals.

More info for the term: cool-season

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].

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.

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].

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].

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More info for the terms: geophyte, hemicryptophyte

Hemicryptophyte
Geophyte

More info for the terms: fresh, mesic

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 banksiana), and white spruce (Picea glauca).
It is frequently competitive with bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
and twinflower (Linnaea borealis) [3,4,5,6,7,15,21].

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

16 Aspen
18 Paper birch
201 White spruce
206 Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir
218 Lodgepole pine
251 White spruce - aspen

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

FRES19 Aspen - birch
FRES23 Fir - spruce
FRES26 Lodgepole pine

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the term: forest

K008 Lodgepole pine - subalpine forest
K015 Western spruce - fir forest
K107 Northern hardwoods - fir forest

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.

More info for the term: forest

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.

More info for the term: forest

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 comparative synecology and syntaxonomy [15]
The vegetation of Alberta [20]

More info for the term: graminoid

Graminoid

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.

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].

AK MT WY SD ND AB BC SK

More info for the term: frequency

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.

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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].

More info for the term: forest

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 remain 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].

More info for the terms: fire regime, graminoid, herb, rhizome, tussock

Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil
Tussock graminoid

Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page
under "Find FIRE REGIMES".

More info for the term: seed

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.

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This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands

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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].

Elymus innovatus

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].

More info for the terms: forbs, shrubs

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].

Perennials, Terrestrial, not aquatic, Rhizomes present, Rhizome short and compact, stems close, Stems nodes swollen or brittle, Stems erect or ascending, Stems caespitose, tufted, or clustered, Stems terete, round in cross section, or polygonal, Stem internodes hollow, Stems with inflorescence less than 1 m tall, Stems, culms, or scapes exceeding basal leaves, Leaves mostly basal, below middle of stem, Leaves mostly cauline, Leaves conspicuously 2-ranked, distichous, Leaves sheathing at base, Leaf sheath mostly open, or loose, Leaf sheath smooth, glabrous, Leaf sheath and blade differentiated, Leaf blades linear, Leaf blade auriculate, Leaf blades 2-10 mm wide, Leaf blades mostly flat, Leaf blade margins folded, involute, or conduplicate, Leaf blades mostly glabrous, Leaf blades more or less hairy, Ligule present, Ligule an unfringed eciliate membrane, Inflorescence terminal, Inflorescence simple spikes, Inflorescence a dense slender spike-like panicle or raceme, branches contracted, Inflorescence solitary, with 1 spike, fascicle, glomerule, head, or cluster per stem or culm, Inflorescence single raceme, fascicle or spike, Inflorescence spikelets arranged in a terminal bilateral spike, Flowers bisexual, Spikelets pedicellate, Spikelets sessile or subsessile, Spikelets laterally compressed, Spikelet less than 3 mm wide, Spikelets with 3-7 florets, Spikelets solitary at r achis nodes, Spikelets paired at rachis nodes, Spikelets all alike and fertille, Spikelets bisexual, Spikelets disarticulating above the glumes, glumes persistent, Spikelets disarticulating beneath or between the florets, Rachilla or pedicel hairy, Rachilla or pedicel glabrous, Glumes present, empty bracts, Glumes 2 clearly present, Glumes equal or subequal, Glumes shorter than adjacent lemma, Glumes equal to or longer than adjacent lemma, Glumes awn-like, elongated or subulate, Glumes keeled or winged, Glume surface hairy, villous or pilose, Glumes 3 nerved, Glumes 4-7 nerved, Lemma similar in texture to glumes, Lemma 5-7 nerved, Lemma body or surface hairy, Lemma apex acute or acuminate, Lemma distinctly awned, more than 2-3 mm, Lemma with 1 awn, Lemma awn less than 1 cm long, Lemma awned from tip, Lemma awns straight or curved to base, Lemma margins thin, lying flat, Lemma straight, Palea present, well developed, Palea membranous, hyaline, Palea about equal to lemma, Pale a longer than lemma, Stamens 3, Styles 2-fid, deeply 2-branched, Stigmas 2, Plants sterile, few or no mature seeds produced, Fruit - caryopsis.

Leymus innovatus is a species of grass known as downy ryegrass, boreal wildrye, hairy wildrye, fuzzyspike wildrye, northern wildrye, and northwestern wildrye. It is native to northern North America from Alaska to eastern Canada and south to Colorado.