Elymus glabriflorus

(Vasey) Scribn. & Ball

Southeastern Wild Rye

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.806789
Element CodePMPOA2H1Y0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusProvisional
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderCyperales
FamilyPoaceae
GenusElymus
Synonyms
Elymus virginicus var. glabriflorus(Vasey) Bush
Other Common Names
southeastern wildrye (EN) Southeastern Wildrye (EN)
Concept Reference
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2007a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 24. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Poaceae, part 1. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxviii + 911 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Kartesz (1999) includes Elymus glabriflorus in his Elymus virginicus var. virginicus. According to Flora of North America (2007), E. glabriflorus is "found in most of the southeastern United States, extending north to Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, and along the Atlantic coast to Maine; it is rare north of Maryland." Flora of North America (2007) also notes that E. glabriflorus forms occasional hybrids with E. macgregorii and E. virginicus.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-08-13
Change Date2024-08-13
Edition Date2024-08-13
Edition AuthorsJohnson, J. (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Elymus glabriflorus is a perennial grass that is found in the eastern United States. With a large range extent, more than 600 occurrences, abundant habitat, and broad habitat preferences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Elymus glabriflorus is found in most of the southeastern United States, extending north to Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, and along the Atlantic coast to Maine; it is rare north of Maryland (FNA 2007). Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are more than 600 occurrences rangewide(GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Elymus glabriflorus is potentially threatened by development, road maintenance, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, tolerance of light disturbance, and affinity for typically abundant habitats, as well as no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Elymus glabriflorus grows on moist, damp, or dry soil in open woods, thickets, and tall grasslands, sometimes spreading into old fields and roadsides (FNA 2007).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandGrassland/herbaceousOld fieldCropland/hedgerow
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
North CarolinaSNRYes
South CarolinaSNRYes
DelawareSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
IowaSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
MaineSNRYes
West VirginiaSNRYes
New YorkS1Yes
New HampshireSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
MassachusettsSHYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
Rhode IslandSHYes
ArkansasSNRYes
VirginiaSNRYes
KentuckySNRYes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
MississippiSNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
IllinoisSNRYes
VermontSNRYes
KansasSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
New JerseySNRYes
FloridaSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undeterminedUnknownUnknownUnknown

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (2)
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainOuachita National Forest9,755
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Harper CreekPisgah National Forest7,325
References (5)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2007a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 24. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Poaceae, part 1. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxviii + 911 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  5. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).