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Invasive Plants
- Perennial Sow Thistle
- Creeping Thistle
- Oxeye Daisy
- Common Tansy
- Spotted Knapweed
- Narrowleaf Hawksbeard
- Scentless Chamomile
- Leafy Spurge
- Foxtail Barley
- Altai Wild Rye
- Crested Wheat Grass
- Smooth Brome
- Quackgrass
- Reed Canary Grass
- Bird Vetch
- Lucerne
- Sweetclover
- Greater Butter-and-Eggs
- Dalmatica Toadflas
Altai Wild Rye
Common name: Altai Wild Rye
Scientific name: Leymus angustus
Family: Poaceae
Description
Altai wild rye is an Asian dune grass found throughout Mongolia, Siberia and China. In Canada it is cultivated in many places but was previously only known to occur in the wild in Saskatchewan. This is a tall (100 cm) coarse grass that reproduces mainly by seed and forms dense tussocks from short rhizomes.
Range in Yukon
Known only from Carcross where it was first reported in 1998. It may have already entered the Yukon River system.
Similar Species
Sea lyme grass (Leymus mollis) and hairy wild rye (Leymus innovatus) are also large perennial grasses. Sea lyme grass is only native to the Yukon coast and has anthers 4-9 mm. Hairy wild rye can be distinguished by having hairy glumes and anthers 3.5-10 mm whereas Altai wild rye has anthers 3–5 mm long; glumes glabrous, sometimes scabrous. Creeping wild rye (Elymus repens) is widely spread along roadsides and at reclamation projects; often as a weed in commercial seed.
Ecological Impact
It is a dune stabilizing grass that could be a threat to the Carcross Dunes and the animals and plants that depend on the ecosystem. If it spreads along rivers, it could form dense mats that hinder succession and decrease biodiversity.
Control
All known Yukon infestations have been small and have been controlled by pulling prior to the seed maturing, larger plants have to be dug up; most of the roots are less than 30 cm deep. The seeds of wild rye continue to mature after pulling. You may put plants into clear garbage bags and then leave them in the sun to kill off the plants and roast the seeds. Herbicide control may be required in large populations.
Contact Environment Yukon Government of Yukon Box 2703 (V-5N) Bruce Bennett, Wildlife Viewing Biologist Phone: 867-667-5331 Email: bruce.bennett@gov.yk.ca |