Elymus hystrix

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Bottlebrush grass
Inflorescences
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Genus: Elymus
Species:
E. hystrix
Binomial name
Elymus hystrix
Synonyms

Hystrix patula Moench

Elymus hystrix, known as eastern bottlebrush grass,

bunchgrass in the grass family, Poaceae. It is native to the Eastern United States and Eastern Canada
.

Description

Elymus hystrix is a

leaves
, on erect stems. The flowers are white and bloom in spring. Elymus hystrix ranges from approximately two and a half to four and a half feet in height. There are usually two
glumes surrounding its spikelets.[3]

Elymus hystrix is

self-compatible; that is, it can reproduce using its own pollen.[4] Elymus hystrix is a perennial meaning it does not completely die at the end of each season, but comes back the next year.[4]

Elymus hystrix has four copies of its

tetraploidy.[3]

Taxonomy

Elymus hystrix was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It was transferred to the new genus Hystrix as the type species Hystrix patula by Conrad Moench in 1794. Genomic studies from the 1960s onwards showed that it does in fact belong in Elymus.[5]

Distribution and habitat

Elymus hystrix is found in the United States east of the Great Plains as well as in Eastern Canada.[6] It is usually found in rocky, wet, and partially shaded habitat such as near rivers, creeks, or woods.[3] Elymus hystrix does not grow well in heavily shaded areas[7] and often inhabits the regions on the edge of shaded wooded areas such as forests.[7] Growth of Elymus hystrix appears to be inhibited by excess shade, but is relatively resistant to soil compaction when compared to other herbaceous plant species.[7]

Potential as a food crop

herbaceous
grassy portion of the plant would be to humans, but potential for Elymus hystrix as a food source for livestock is also of interest.

Ecology

It is a larval host to the

northern pearly eye.[10]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elymus hystrix.

References

  1. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Elymus hystrix". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  2. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. ^
    S2CID 85699433
    .
  4. ^
    PMID 16626473
    .
  5. doi:10.1111/jse.12116
    .
  6. ^ "Elymus hystrix". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  7. ^
    doi:10.1139/x02-099
    .
  8. JSTOR 1377688
    .
  9. ^
    JSTOR 4003664
    .
  10. ^ The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.
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