Elymus macgregorii R. Brooks & J.J.N. Campb.

MacGregor’s wildrye, early wildrye

Similar species

	You are here Elymus macgregorii	Elymus virginicus	Elymus hystrix
Common Name	MacGregor’s wildrye	Virginia wildrye	Eastern bottlebrush grass
Plant	These perennials appear in tufts. Stems are 1–4′ (40–120 cm) tall. Stem bases are green.	Up to 1′ (30 cm) tall, with flowering spikes up to 4′ (1.2 m).	Tuft-forming perennial grass, typically 2–4′ (60–120 cm) in height. Stems have a circular cross-section.
Leaves	There are 4-8 leaves per stem, each ¼–½″ (7–15 mm) wide. Leaf blades have shiny, smooth surfaces.	Four to nine alternate leaves. Flat, linear, pointed, up to 1′ ⨉ ½″ (30 ⨉ 1.5 cm).	Four to eight per stem, each ¼–½″ (8–15 mm). Leaves are shiny to grayish to bluish green, with a slightly rough or hairy texture on leaf surfaces, and often drooping.
Flowers	Spikes are 1½–4½″ (4–12 cm) long, and usually ¾–1″ (2.2–3 cm) wide, sometimes spread and much wider. Spikelets are ⅜–½″ (1–1.5 cm) long, excluding the awns. Usually there are two spikelets per node, sometimes three. The glumes enclosing the flowers are ¼–⅝ ⨉ 1/32–1/16″ (8–16 ⨉ 1–1.8 mm) in size, with awns that extend for another ½″ (1.5 cm) or more. The lemmas that enclose the flowers are ⅛–⅜″ (6–12 mm) long, with awns that are ¾–1″ (2–3 cm) long. Each spikelet has 3-4 Florets, appearing mid-May to mid-June, about 10 days earlier than E. virginicus.	A single spike 1½–6 ⨉ ⅜–¾″ (3.8–15 ⨉ 1–2.2 cm) long, with two flower clusters (“spikelets”) atop tall, stiff stems. Each spikelet is ⅜–½″ (1–1.5 cm) long. and greenish or blue-green. They flower from June to October.	An erect, cylindrical spike, resembling a bottle brush. It is 3–6″ tall ⨉ 1½–2½″ (8–15 ⨉ 4–7 cm), the width including the long narrow awns. Spikelets are ⅜–½″ (1–1.5 cm) long, exluding the awns. When mature, they extend at nearly right angles to the stem. Usually there are 2-4 florets per spikelet. Glumes are small and insignificant. Lemmas are ¼–⅜″ (9–11 mm) long, with awns that extend another ¾–1½″ (2–4 cm). There are 2-4 fertile lemmas per spikelet.
Fruit	The seeds lie within the glumes.	Awns remain straight as spikelets mature, becoming straw-colored when dry.	Seeds are within the glumes.
Range/ Zones		USDA Zones: 3-8	USDA Zones: 5-9
Habitats	Rich, mesic, rocky forests, floodplains, and riparian habitats. Frequently occurs in the same habitats with, and hybridizes with, E. virginicus.	Moist, well drained soils: fields, pastures, water edges, etc.	Rich, mesic, rocky forests, floodplains, and riparian habitats, in partial shade. It is often found in the same habitats with, and hybridizes with, E. virginicus and E. macgregorii.

Elymus macgregorii description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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