Leymus triticoides

Leymus triticoides, with the common names creeping wild rye and beardless wild rye, is a species of wild rye. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California and Texas.

Habitat
Leymus triticoides often grows in moist habitat, sometimes with heavy and saline soils. It forms a solid root system which allows it to grow at water's edge and prevent the soil from eroding.

Description
This rhizomatous, turf-forming perennial grass reaches 1.3 meters in maximum height. The stiff, slender green to blue-green leaves stand away from the stems at an obvious angle. The inflorescence is a narrow spike of flowers up to 20 centimeters long.

This is a good rangeland grass for grazing, and it is used to stabilize waterways because of its soil-retaining rhizome network.

Leymus triticoides is an important native plant in California chaparral and woodlands habitat restoration projects.