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Virginia Wildrye

Elymus virginicus

Other common name(s):

N/A

Family:

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, High Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains, Red Prairie
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Canadian/Cimarron High Plains, Llano Estacado, Rolling Sand Plains
Canadian/Cimarron Breaks, Caprock Canyons Badlands Breaks, Flat Tablelands and Valleys, Semiarid Canadian Breaks
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Grass & Sedge

Height

3
to
4
ft.

Spread

1
to
2
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Well Drained

Light Requirement

Part Shade

Water Requirement

Medium

Native Habitat

Grassland, Variable

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Yellow

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Seeds, Pollen

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Small Mammals

Maintenance

Shaded banks, fence rows, open woodlands.. Barbed awns pose a serious threat of injury to dogs in which they can cause severe eye injuries. Propagation: Seed.

Comments

Culms erect or decumbent at base. Blades flat, mostly 5-15 mm. wide. Spike usually stiffly erect. Seed and forage for birds and small mammals, used for denning and nesting material. Larval Host: most branded skippers and most of the satyrs.

References

1) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=40681, 2) https://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=18178&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 3) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ELVI3, 4) https://warcapps.usgs.gov/PlantID/Species/Details/1867

Get in Touch

Contact the State

Contact a local Chapter

State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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