Practical
Plants

Elymus canadensis

Canadian Wild Rye

a perennial member of the Elymus genus in the family Gramineae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Gramineae
Genus
Elymus
Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.75 m
Spread
1 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - cooked[2][3][5]. It can be ground into a flour and used to make bread. Quite fiddly to use, the seed is small and difficult to separate[K]. The seed was an important item of food for the Paiute Indians of south-western N. America[6].

Plant part
Seed

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The plant has an extensive root system and can be used for binding sand dunes[11].

Ecology and functions

Earth stabiliser

Environment

Range
N. America - in most areas except the far south. Recorded, but not yet naturalized in N. Europe[10]
Habitat
Dry sandy gravelly or rocky soil[9]. Thickets and open woods in limestone and sandy clay soils in Texas[8].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 3+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
high wind, maritime exposure, drought
Wind
Yes
Maritime
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow mid spring in situ and only just cover the seed[4]. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. If the supply of seed is limited, it can also be sown in mid spring in a cold frame. Only just cover the seed. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in summer[K] Division in spring or summer[4]. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils, preferring a sandy soil and a sunny position[1][4]. Plants can flower too late to ripen their seed in Britain, especially in the western half of the country[K]. A polymorphic species[1].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

  4. Grounds. R. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-7470-1219-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩

  7. Hitchcock. A. S. Manual of the Grasses of the United States Dover Publications. New York. 1971-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22717-0

  8. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

    ↩

  9. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

  10. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩

  11. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

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