413-548-8000 — info@newp.com
  • HOME
  • PLANTS
    • Trees
    • Shrubs
    • Ferns
    • Herbaceous
  • SEED MIXES
  • SOIL EROSION
New England Wetland Plants
  • ABOUT
  • RESOURCES
  • CONTACT

Elymus riparius Riverbank Wild Rye

General

A tall cool season bunch grass sometimes used for erosion control. Most commonly found in moist soils, and on stream banks and shore edges.

Plant Description

A tall grass growing 3-5'. Hollow, slightly tapered stems grow in tufts. Long, linear leaves grow sparse and opposite on the stem. A spiky green inflorescence 3-8'' long "blooms" during summer.

Height (ft)
3-5'

Soil moisture
Moist

Soil types
Loam, Clay-Loam

Wetland indicator
FACW

Shade tolerance
Tolerant, Full Sun to Full Shade

Bloom color
Yellow/Green

Bloom period
Summer

Drought tolerance
Low

Salinity tolerance
None

 

Distribution

Common in the Northeast from Maine to Pennsylvania, then along the Appalachians until Tennessee. Sparse populations west from the Appalachian Mountains to the edge of the Great Plains.

Additional information

Brown, Lauren. Grasses: An Identification Guide. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York City, 1979. LINK

Fassett, Norman C. A Manual of Aquatic Plants, First Edition. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York and London, 1940. LINK

Garbisch, Edgar W., and McIninch, Suzanne M. Propagation of Wetland Plants: Herbaceous Plants, Shrubs and Trees. Environmental Concern, Inc. 2003. LINK

Harris, James G., and Harris, Melinda Woolf. Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary, Second Edition. Spring Lake Publishing, Spring Lake, Utah. 2011. LINK

Hitchcock, A.S., and Chase, Agnes. Manual of the Grasses of the United States, Second Edition, Volume I. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1971. LINK

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. North American Plant Atlas. (http://bonap.net/napa). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press) LINK

McKenny, Margaret and Peterson, Roger Tory. A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and North-central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1968. LINK

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. Laurence Newcomb, Mexico. 1977. LINK

USDA, NRCS. 2021. PLANTS Database (https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/, 08/20/2021). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA. LINK

https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/grasses/plants/rb_rye.html

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=elri

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/143495-Elymus-riparius/browse_photos

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elymus_(plant)

New England Wetland Plants

Physical address
14 Pearl Lane
South Hadley, MA 01075

413-548-8000

info@newp.com

Hours of Operation:

Hours of operation

M-F, 8:00 – 12:00 and 1:00 – 4:00
By appointment only

Soil Erosion

About

Contact

Terms

Process

Resources

© 2023 New England Wetland Plants, Inc.. All Rights Reserved. Crafted by Msondevsho.graphics