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]