Home
Advanced Search Map Locator
View Settings
Nurseries Carrying this Plant Add Current Plant To List Edit Current Plant
Show all Photos

About Calscape Nurseries
California Garden Planner Bay Area Garden Planner (NEW) Planting Guide
Butterflies My Plant Lists
Contact Calscape
Tap map to see plants native to location
Order by Popularity Order by Common Name Order by Scientific Name Order by # of Butterflies Hosted
Show nursery cultivars Hide nursery cultivars
Show plants not in nurseries Hide plants not in nurseries
Grid view Text view
Loading....
Blue Wildrye
Elymus glaucus
  
32 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Blue Wildrye (Elymus glaucus) 32 Nurseries Carry This Plant Blue Wildrye (Elymus glaucus) is a species of wild rye. This grass is a common and widespread species native to North America from Alaska to New York to northern Mexico. It is found in every region of California except the low desert.

This perennial bunch grass grow as small, narrow tufts of several erect stems which exceed 20 inches in height and may approach 5 ft. It has a thick, fibrous root system, sometimes with rhizomes, and the stems may form stolons. It has flat leaves, each up to approximately 1/2 in. at the base and rapidly narrowing to a point.

The tip of the stem is occupied by a narrow, pointed flower cluster 2 to 6 in. long made up of a few spikelets. Each spikelet is 0.4 to 0.6 in. long, not counting an awn which may be 3/4 to 1 in. long.

This is a popular accent grass for the garden and also used in restoration projects. Common native grass associates in the far west coastal prairies are Danthonia californica, Deschampsia caespitosa, Festuca idahoensis and Nassella pulchra. It can hybridize with other species of Elymus to produce highly variable forms.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Grasses

Size
Size
1 - 5 ft tall
1 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Summer Semi-Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Summer

Wildlife Supported
 
Attracts various insects, especially bees and butterflies. The genus Elymus is host plant for the Woodland Skipper butterfly and Chytonix moth.

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1 confirmed , 9 likely * ) SHOW ALL
Chionodes figurella Image
Chionodes figurellaChionodes figurella
*
Ochlodes sylvanoides Image
Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoidesOchlodes sylvanoides
*
Hesperia nevada Image
Nevada Skipper Hesperia nevadaHesperia nevada
*
Mythimna unipuncta Image
Armyworm Moth Mythimna unipunctaMythimna unipuncta
*
Nephelodes minians Image
Bronzed Cutworm Nephelodes miniansNephelodes minians
*
Apamea devastator Image
Glassy Borer Apamea devastatorApamea devastator
*
Leucania insueta Image
Darted Wainscot Leucania insuetaLeucania insueta

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 32

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to -15° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Medium

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates a wide variety of soils. Tolerates Serpentine Soil,Tolerates Sodic Soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.2

Common uses
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Can be combined with virtually any woodland or chaparral plants. Seaside daisy around its base creates a stunning display.

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
1, 2*, 3*, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7*, 8, 9, 10*, 11, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Prairies, grasslands, meadows, other open places

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.6" - 154.0", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 5.80", Coldest Month: 10.8" - 57.7", Hottest Month: 34.1" - 81.1", Humidity: 0.01" - 30.21", Elevation: -3814" - 14090"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Blue Wild Rye


Print Plant Sign Print Plant Label
Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


Sign in to your Calscape Account X




Once signed in, you'll be able to access any previously saved plant lists or create new ones.

Email Address
Password

Sign In