Family:
Poaceae
Common Name(s):
Downy or silky wild rye
Flowering Time:
June
Fruit/Seed Maturation Sign:
Caryopsis (seed) turns tan
Fruit/Seed Collection Dates:
Mid August
Seed Cleaning:
None required
Storage:
Dry
Restoration Potential:
Proven performer
Notes
Of 240 seeds planted in a central Iowa demographic study, 210 (88%) germinated and 26 plants survivied to year 5; 27 flowered after an average of 4 years (Mabry 2023).
Experimental seed addition in a small field study resulted in establishment in 54 to 92% of plots after three years (Brudvig et al. 2011).
Spreads through self-sowing, as downy wild rye has little to no vegetative spread (Barkely 1986, Gleason and Cronquist 1991).
Can become aggressive on rich sites and eliminate other species (Mabry, personal observation).
