ELYMUS VIRGINICUS
18. Elymus virginicus L. Virginia Wild Rye, Lyme Grass, Terrell Grass.
A tall, loosely tufted perennial of natural meadows, stream banks, thin woodlands or open soil.
Leaves rolled in the bud-shoot. Sheath not compressed, not keeled, glabrous or rarely sparsely retrorse-hairy on the veins, smooth or sometimes slightly scabrous, green or the outer sheaths sometimes reddish at the base, split to the base, the edges overlapping, the margin of the outer one being scabrous, glabrous, or rarely sparsely ciliate, the margin of the inner hyaline, smooth and glabrous. Auricles present, 0.5 to 1.5 mm. long, sharp and clawlike, or rounded. Collar broad, continuous glabrous, yellow-green, often oblique. Ligule thick-membranous, greenish, about 0.5 mm. long, truncate, undulate, ciliolate. Blade 4 to 12 mm. wide, 10 to 30 cm. long, flat, tapering to a sharp point; upper surface dull and sometimes slightly glaucous, distinctly nerved with small and close ridges; lower surface bright green with the distinct midrib forming a keel; scabrous on both surfaces; margins scabrous.
This species may be distinguished from E. canadensis by having narrower blades, shorter ligule and more scabrous surfaces of blades. Both species of Elymus have broader and coarser blades than Agropyron Cristatum.