Leymus (cinereus)

Dave Skinner PMC Farm Manager USDA NRCS - Pullman Plant Materials Center Room 211A Hulbert Hall WSU Pullman, Washington 99164-6211 509-335-9689 509-335-2940 (fax) abbie@wsu.edu http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/wapmc

---

Family Scientific Name:	Poaceae
Family Common Name:	Grass
Scientific Name:	Leymus cinereus (Scrib. & Merr.) A. Love
Common Synonym:	Elymus cinereus Scrib. & Merr.
Common Name:	Basin wildrye
Species Code:	LECI4 (ELCI2)
Ecotype:	Paradise Creek drainage near Pullman, Washington.
General Distribution:	Western North America east of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains from British Columbia east to Saskatchewan and Montana and south to New Mexico. Occurs where mean annual precipitation ranges from 8-20 inches (USDA, NRCS 2004). It is usually found in low lying or riparian areas where soils are deep and soil moisture is available late in the growing season. Basin wildrye is somewhat tolerant of saline/alkaline conditions.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Time To Grow:	4 Months
Target Specifications:	Tight root plug in container.
Propagule Collection:	Seed ripens in late August in the Pullman area. It is collected when the inflorescence begins to dry and the seed is in the soft to hard dough stage but before it shatters from the inflorescence. Seed can be stripped from the inflorescence or the inflorescence can be clipped from the plant. Harvested seed is stored in paper bags at room temperature until cleaned. 144,000 seeds/lb (USDA, NRCS, 2004). 95-166,000 seeds/lb. (Hassell et al. 1996).
Propagule Processing:	Small amounts are rubbed to free the seed, then cleaned with an air column separator. Larger amounts can be threshed with a hammermill, then cleaned with air screen equipment. Clean seed is stored in controlled conditions at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 40% relative humidity.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Seeds are non-dormant at maturity but germinate most readily in the spring. A short prechill decreases germination time (Meyer et al 1995). Wild collections of seed frequently have germination rates of 35-40% (Young & Evans 1981). For the cultivar 'Magnar', germination occurs at a wide range of temperatures but the optimum temperature is 20 degrees Celsius (Evans & Young 1983). Seed from an alpine source germinated at 75% after 16 weeks on cool, moist stratification and the use of gibberellic acid combined with 16 weeks stratification resulted in 98% germination (MacDonough 1969).
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	No pretreatment is used. In January seed is sown in the greenhouse in 10 cu. in. Ray Leach Super cell conetainers filled with Sunshine #4 and covered lightly. Head space of ¬ to « inch is maintained in conetainers to allow deep watering. A thin layer of pea gravel is applied to prevent seeds from floating. Conetainers are watered deeply.
Establishment Phase:	Medium is kept moist until germination occurs. Germination usually begins in 7 days. After 2 weeks, germination is about 60%. Full germination may take 3 or more weeks.
Length of Establishment Phase:	3+ weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Plants are watered deeply every other day and fertilized once per week with a complete, water soluble fertilizer containing micro-nutrients.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	4 months
Hardening Phase:	Plants are moved to the cold frame in late March or early April, depending on weather conditions. They are watered every other day if the weather is cool, and every day during hot, dry spells.
Length of Hardening Phase:	2-4 weeks
Other Comments:	Basin Wildrye sometimes produces short rhizomes. It is slow to establish from seed and matures late in the growing season. Ergot (Claviceps spp.) infestations have been noted in the seed.
References:	Craighead, John J., Frank C. Craighead, and Ray J. Davis. 1963. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, MA. 277 pp. Evans, Raymond A., and James A. Young. 1983. `Magnar' Basin Wildrye-Germination in Relation to Temperature. Journal of Range Management. 36:395-398. Hassell, Wendell, W. Rocky Beavers, Steve Ouellette, and Thomas Mitchell. 1996. Seeding Rate Statistics for Native and Introduced Species. USDI National Park Service and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. 25 pp. Hitchcock, C. Leo, and Arthur Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. 730 pp. McDonough, Walter T. 1969. Effective Treatments for the Induction of Germination in Mountain Rangeland Species. Northwest Science 43:18-22. Meyer, S.E., J. Beckstead, P.S. Allen, and H. Pullman. 1995. Germination Ecophysiology of Leymus cinereus (Poaceae). International Journal of Plant Sciences 156: 206-215. Parish, Roberta, Ray Coupe, and Dennis Lloyd (eds.). 1996. Plants of Southern Interior British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing, Vancouver, BC, Canada. 463 pp. Piper, C.V., and R.K. Beattie. 1914. The Flora of Southeastern Washington and Adjacent Idaho. Lancaster, PA. Press of the New Era Printing Company. 296 p. St. John, Harold. 1963. Flora of Southeastern Washington and of Adjacent Idaho. 3rd edition. Outdoor Pictures. Escondido, CA. 583 pp. USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) Online Database. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: http://www.ars-grin.gov2/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxgenform.pl (12 April 2005) USDA, NRCS. 2004. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA. Young, James A., Raymond A. Evans. 1981. Germination of Great Basin Wildrye Seeds Collected from Native Stands. Agronomy Journal 73:917-920.

Citation:

Skinner, David M,. 2005. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Leymus cinereus (Scrib. & Merr.) A. Love plants USDA NRCS - Pullman Plant Materials Center Pullman, Washington. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/07/02). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.