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Native Plant Propagation Guidelines:
grasses & sedges

Elymus hirsutus (hairy wildrye)

Category: 
grasses and sedges

   

Perennial grass, 0.5 to 1.5 m tall forming small clumps. Leaves broad and flat with rough surfaces and slightly rolled in edges, claw-like, clasping auricles and short (1 mm) collar-like ligules. Inflorescence flexible drooping spike with two stalkless spikelets at each node. Spikelets with two or more florets. Lemmas fringed with long hairs with awns up to 2 cm long. Often hybridizes with E. glaucus (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1998).

Scientific Name: 

Elymus hirsutus J. Presl

Family: 
Poaceae
English Name: 
hairy wildrye

Geographical Range and Habitat Requirements

Ecological Setting: 

Western North American grass most common in coastal regions. Occurs in boreal, cool temperate and cool mesothermal climates. Occurrence decreases with increasing continentality (Klinka et al., 1989).

Soil Texture: 

Moder and mull humus (Klinka et al., 1989).

Nutrients: 

Nitrogen rich soils (Klinka et al., 1989).

Soil Reaction and Salinity: 
n/a
Moisture Regime: 

Moist to wet (Klinka et al., 1989).

Shade Tolerance: 

Light sun to shade (Klinka et al., 1989).

Successional Status: 

Climax associated with broad-leaf tree species on water-receiving sites such as floodplains, wet meadows, avalanche tracks and mountain gullies (Klinka et al., 1989).

BEC Zone and GOE Community Status: 
n/a

Uses

Site Rehabilitation: 

  

Wildlife: 

Forage for both livestock and wildlife.

Landscaping: 

Use in borders, along meadow edges and in containers.

First Nations: 
n/a
Other Uses: 
n/a

Seed Propagation

Flowering Time: 
n/a
Fruit Ripening Time: 
n/a
Seed Collection Time: 
n/a
Crop Intervals: 
n/a
Number of Seeds per Kilogram: 
n/a
Seed Viability: 
n/a
Fruit and Seed Collection and Extraction: 

Harvest by hand and clean by gently de-awning with a brush machine or air screen machine (Link, 1993).

Seed Storage: 

Store up to five years at low humidity and low temperatures (Link, 1993).

Fruit/Seed Dormancy and Treatment: 

No dormancy treatment required. Good results from both fall sown (germination in March) and summer sown (night 12º C/day 20-25º C) (S. Bastin, personal communication).

Vegetative Propagation

Good success with plant division in early spring or fall; an excellent way to increase stocks.

Outplanting Characteristics and Requirements

Requires lots of space and can be very aggressive. Keep in check or plant in large area (Bastin, personal communication).

Seed and Cutting Propagation Techniques

n/a

Additional Information and Photos

For more information and pictures, visit the E-Flora BC website at www.eflora.bc.ca.

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