Secale cereale|annual rye|Poaceae

Secale cereale.R.A. Howard. @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database. ©Smithsonian Institution.

Secale cereale is an annual or biennial, C3 grass (Waller and Lewis 1979) 60 cm to 1.2 m tall, cm, usually pale gray-green, branched from base.

Leaves alternate, flat, 0.3-0.7 cm wide.

Flower spikelets 2-flowered, borne flat against the axis of the spike along either side; glumes 0.8-1.5 cm, keeled, hairy on keel and veins, lemmas 1-1.6 cm, awn 2-7 cm, at tip; inflorescence a spike, 6-15 cm long, stout, nodding, bristly.

Wetland status: NL.

Frequency in NYC: Very infrequent.

Origin: Eurasia.

Habitat: Planted for temporary erosion control on restoration sites. Generally not persisting. A poor competitor, soil pH 4.5-8.2 (USDA, NRCS 2010).

Related Terms:

Term: USDA, NRCS 2010

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Secale cereale annual rye Poaceae SECE*; Bx, pb; Q; R, ar;