Elymus curvatus
 
Short-Awned Wild-Rye

Single Node - Two Views

Duck Mountain Provincial Park
22-July-2025

Two sides of the same node are pictured here. Note there are two spikelets per node. Turquoise labels are used for components of one spikelet and red labels for components of the other spikelet.

The glumes of this species are equal or subequal.  The glumes of E. diversiglumis are often distinctly unequal in length.

The glumes of this species are 7-15 mm long with awns an additional 3 (5) mm long. The glumes of E. diversiglumis can be as short as (1) 2 mm long (including awn) but may be longer.  The glume awns of E. elymoides are 35 to 85 mm long. The glume awns of E. canadensis are (5) 10-25 (27) mm long.

The glumes of this species are 1-2 mm wide. The glumes of E. diversiglumis are 0.2-0.5 mm wide.

The glume bodies of this species equal or exceed the lemma bodies.  The glume bodies of E. canadensis are shorter than or equal to the lemma bodies.

The glume bases of this species are not overlapping and not evidently nerved.  The glume bases of E. glaucous are flat and often overlapping with evident nerves.

The glumes of this species are 1-3 nerved distally.  The glumes of  E. diversiglumis are 0-1 nerved distally.

The glume bases of this species are thickened to terete for 2-3 mm. The glume bases of E. virginicus are thickened to terete for just over 1 mm. The glume bases of E. canadensis are thickened for at most 1 mm.

The glume bases of this species are bowed out. The glume bases of E. canadensis are not bowed out.

The glumes of this species have firm margins.  The glumes of E. glaucous have hyaline margins.

The following items are taken from keys in Flora of Saskatchewan, Fascicle 4, Grasses of Saskatchewan by Anna L. Leighton and Vernon L. Harms.  Family Poaceae is first divided into tribes, then the tribes are divided into genera, and the genera divided into species.  However, there are a number of tribes that are very difficult to distinguish morphologically.  These are grouped into a large, artificial tribe I call "Multitribe".  Multitribe is then divided into groups, and each group is then divided into genera.  The answers are in the order you would normally work through the keys.

Triticeae: Answers to key questions leading to this tribe. 
Mature inflorescence, if breaking into units, then the units not as below; NOT [Mature inflorescence breaking into spikelet units consisting of a sessile fertile spikelet, a hairy pedicel with or without a sterile spikelet at tip, and a hairy rachis joint, all arising at the same point (a node) in specialized panicle branches called rames]
Spikelets not as below; sterile florets if present, either located distal to the fertile floret(s) on the rachilla or paired and attached at the base of a single fertile floret, not paired with the upper glume as below; lemma and palea variously textured, enclosing the flower or not; disarticulation usually above the glumes; NOT [Spikelets usually dorsally compressed, appearing 1-flowered but containing 1 fertile floret and 1 sterile floret, the latter attached to the base of fertile floret opposite the upper glume, resembling the upper glume, and together with the upper glume enveloping the fertile floret; lower glumes minute (sometimes absent) to 3/4 as long as upper glumes and typically wrapping most of the way around the pedicel at base; fertile floret seed-like with chartaceous-indurate lemma and palea enclosing flower and fruit; disarticulation below the glumes with rare exceptions]
Spikelets 1 to many-flowered, subtended by a pair of glumes (only 1 on lateral spikelets in Lolium); palea margins enclosed or not; plants of dry or wet habitats; NOT [Spikelets 1-flowered, lacking glumes; margins of the palea tightly enclosed by the lemma margins on female or perfect florets; plants of wetlands, often emergent aquatic]
Inflorescence a terminal spike with sessile or subsessile spikelets attached broadside at nodes on opposite sides of the rachis; NOT [Inflorescence not as above; if a terminal spike, then the lateral spikelets attached edgewise to the rachis with inner (upper) glume wanting (as in Lolium)]

Elymus: Answers to key questions leading to this genus. Not all the answers apply to all members of Elymus, but they all do apply to a subset containing E. diversiglumis).
Spikelets 2 or more per node, occasionally 1 at some nodes; NOT [Spikelets 1 per node, occasionally 2 at some nodes]
Spikelets 2-7 per node with 1-7 (9) florets per spikelet; if spikelets 3 per node, then some spikelets with more than 1 floret; NOT [Spikelets 3 per node with 1 floret per spikelet; florets in central spikelet always fertile, those in the 2 lateral spikelets sterile and greatly reduced in plants that disarticulate at rachis nodes but may be fertile in plants with a continuous rachis]
Lemmas awned, the awns usually (5) 8-120 mm long, shorter (to 3 (5) mm) in plants with glumes distinctly bowed out (as in E. curvatus); NOT [Lemmas unawned or with awns up to 4 mm long; glumes not distinctly bowed out at base]

 

Curvatus: Answers to key questions leading to this species. 
Spikelets 2 or more per node (occasionally 1 at some nodes); glumes setaceous to linear-lanceolate; NOT [Spikelets 1 per node (occasionally 2 at some nodes); glumes lanceolate or wider (except E. glaucus which may have linear-lanceolate glumes)]
Rachis not disarticulating at the nodes at maturity; glume awns if long and outcurving then not forking near base; NOT [Rachis disarticulating at the nodes at maturity; glume awns 35-85 mm long, flexuous or outcurving, often forking into 2-3 divisions near the base]
Glumes usually setaceous or linear-lanceolate, with firm margins; glume bases thickened to terete, not overlapping, lacking apparent nerves; NOT [Glumes linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, with hyaline margins; glume bases flat, often overlapping, nerved to near base]
Glumes subsetaceous to linear-lanceolate, 1-5 (7)-nerved distally, 0.5-2 mm wide, 11-40 mm long (entire length including awns); if shorter then bowed out at base, and equal or subequal; NOT [Glumes setaceous, 0.2-0.5 mm wide, 0-1-nerved distally, (1) 2-15 (20) mm long (entire length to tip), 1 or both less than 12 mm long, often distinctly unequal in length with 1 glume of a pair usually several mm shorter than the other, and occasionally obsolete]
Lowest lemma of spikelets at mid-culm 6-10 mm long; lemma awns straight; glume bodies equaling or exceeding the lemma bodies; glumes awns at most 10 (15) mm long, straight; glume bases thickened to terete and indurate for just over 1 mm to 3 mm, bowed out; NOT [Lowest lemma of spikelets at mid-culm 8-15 mm long; lemma awns outcurving; glume bodies shorter than or equaling the lemma bodies; glume awns (5) 10-25 (27) mm long, straight or outcurving; glume bases thickened and indurate for at most 1 mm, not bowed out]
Lemma awns 1-3 (4) mm long; glume bases thickened to terete for 2-3 mm; NOT [Lemma awns (5) 8-20 (25) mm long; glume bases thickened to terete for just over 1 mm]