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Psathyrostachys juncea
Also called Russian Wild Rye
Russian wildrye is a hardy perennial bunch grass grown mainly as forage and for rangeland and soil stabilization. It thrives in dry, cold, and saline conditions but is slow and tricky to establish from seed.
Psathyrostachys juncea is a species of grass known by the common name Russian wildrye. It was formerly classified as Elymus junceus. It is native to Russia and China, and has been introduced to other parts of the world, such as Canada and the United States. Psathyrostachys juncea is a great source of food for grazing animals, as it has high nutrition value in its dense basal leaves, even in the late summer and autumn seasons. This species can grow and prosper in many harsh environments, making it an ideal candidate for improvement as it can grow in areas were farming is difficult. This species is a drought-resistant forage plant and can survive during the cool seasons. It is also a cross-pollinator and is self-sterile. This means that P. juncea cannot self-fertilize; it must find another plant of the same species with which to exchange gametes.
Psathyrostachys juncea was introduced to North America as a forage grass and for rangeland rehabilitation and soil stabilization. The grass is "one of the most versatile forage grasses available for dryland pastures." It is palatable to livestock, though it does not make a good hay due to its basal leaves. It is also palatable for wild ungulates, such as elk. The grass is a particularly good forage when planted in alternating rows with a legume, such as alfalfa.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Psathyrostachys juncea by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
