Common Name: false quackgrass

Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Graminoid

General: Tufted rhyzomatous perennial, ascending or erect, with stems 30-100 cm tall and a spike-like inflorescence; is a hybrid of E. lanceolatus and E. Trachycaulus.

Vegetative: Leaves evenly distributed, blades 10-14 cm long, 2-7 mm wide, scabrous on both sides, sparsely pilose on adaxial surfaces, with hairs ca. 1 mm; stems 30-100 cm long, glabrous, mostly smooth, but are sometimes scabrous below nodes.

Inflorescence: Spikes 5-13 cm long, 5 mm wide, 1 spikelet per node; internode length 3.5-5 mm; glumes 8-18 mm long, generally flat, same lenth or shorter than the adjacent lemmas, 5-9-veined, sometimes awned, with awns 1 mm; lemmas 7-15 mm long, glabrous proximally and scabrous distally, with awns to 3 mm long; anthers 1-2 mm long.

Ecology: Found in open areas, roadsides, mountain brush, and sometimes in forests in dry to mesic environments to 10,80 ft. (3300 m).

Distribution: Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington

Notes: Hybridization between E. lanceolatus and E. Trachycaulus appears to be common throughout its range. Hybrids are partially fertile so can persist after parent plants have died out. Introgression can occur between the parents.

Etymology: Elymus comes from Greek name elymos for millet, while pseudo means false, and repens means having creeping and rooting stems.

Synonyms: Agropyron pseudorepens, Agropyron pseudorepens var. magnum, Agrpopyron pseudorepens var. sennii, Agropyron vaillantianum, Elymus pseudorepens

Editor: LKearsley, 2012