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''Elymus hystrix'', known as eastern bottlebrush grass, or bottle-brush-grass, is a
bunchgrass Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perenni ...
in the grass family, Poaceae. It is native to the
Eastern United States The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...
and
Eastern Canada Eastern Canada (also the Eastern provinces or the East) is generally considered to be the region of Canada south of the Hudson Bay/ Strait and east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces (from east to west): Newfoundland and Labrad ...
.


Description

''Elymus hystrix'' is a
herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition ...
with alternate, simple leaves, on erect stems. The flowers are white and bloom in spring. ''Elymus hystrix'' ranges from approximately two and a half to four and a half feet in height. There are usually two
spikelets A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the flowers of grasses, sedges and some other Monocots. Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the spikelet that ...
at each of the five to nine
node In general, a node is a localized swelling (a "knot") or a point of intersection (a vertex). Node may refer to: In mathematics * Vertex (graph theory), a vertex in a mathematical graph * Vertex (geometry), a point where two or more curves, line ...
s of the plant. Unlike some similar native grasses, the blades of ''Elymus hystrix'' do not have
glumes In botany, a glume is a bract (leaf-like structure) below a spikelet in the inflorescence (flower cluster) of grasses (Poaceae) or the flowers of sedges (Cyperaceae). There are two other types of bracts in the spikelets of grasses: the lemma an ...
surrounding its spikelets. ''Elymus hystrix'' is
self-compatible Self-incompatibility (SI) is a general name for several genetic mechanisms that prevent self-fertilization in sexually reproducing organisms, and thus encourage outcrossing and allogamy. It is contrasted with separation of sexes among individuals ( ...
; that is, it can reproduce using its own
pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametop ...
. ''Elymus hystrix'' is a
perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
meaning it does not completely die at the end of each season, but comes back the next year. ''Elymus hystrix'' has four copies of its
genome In the fields of molecular biology and genetics, a genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding ...
, exhibiting a type of
polyploidy Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than one pair of (homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei (eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, where each set contains ...
called
tetraploidy Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than one pair of ( homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei (eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, where each set contains ...
.


Taxonomy

''Elymus hystrix'' was first described by
Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, ...
in 1753. It was transferred to the new genus ''Hystrix'' as the
type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...
''Hystrix patula'' by
Conrad Moench Conrad Moench (sometimes written Konrad Mönch; 15 August 1744 – 6 January 1805) was a German botanist, professor of botany at Marburg University from 1786 until his death. He wrote 'Methodus Plantas horti botanici et agri Marburgensis' in 17 ...
in 1794.
Genomic Genomics is an interdisciplinary field of biology focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes. A genome is an organism's complete set of DNA, including all of its genes as well as its hierarchical, three-dim ...
studies from the 1960s onwards showed that it does in fact belong in ''Elymus''.


Distribution and habitat

''Elymus hystrix'' is found in the United States east of the Great Plains as well as in Eastern Canada. It is usually found in rocky, wet, and partially shaded habitat such as near rivers, creeks, or woods. ''Elymus hystrix'' does not grow well in heavily shaded areas and often inhabits the regions on the edge of shaded wooded areas such as forests. Growth of ''Elymus hystrix'' appears to be inhibited by excess shade, but is relatively resistant to soil compaction when compared to other herbaceous plant species.


Potential as a food crop

''Mus musculus'', or mice, feed on ''Elymus'' seeds. It is reasonable that through
domestication Domestication is a sustained multi-generational relationship in which humans assume a significant degree of control over the reproduction and care of another group of organisms to secure a more predictable supply of resources from that group. A ...
and enhancement of seed size and nutritional value seeds of ''Elymus hystrix'' could be useful for consumption by other
vertebrates Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () ( chordates with backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata, wi ...
such as humans. Similar species of grasses are eaten by
livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to anima ...
throughout the United States. Other ''Elymus'' species have been found to be high in crude protein when compared to other native grasses, but research is needed to investigate whether specifically ''Elymus hystrix'' also exhibits this trait. It is also not immediately evident how nutritious the
herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition ...
grassy portion of the plant would be to humans, but potential for ''Elymus hystrix'' as a food source for livestock is also of interest.


Ecology

It is a larval host to the
northern pearly eye ''Lethe anthedon'', the northern pearly-eye, is a species of butterfly of the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in North America, from central Saskatchewan and eastern Nebraska east to Nova Scotia, south to central Alaba ...
.The Xerces Society (2016), ''Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects'', Timber Press.


See also

* *


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5368484
hystrix Hystrix may refer to: * Ichthyosis hystrix, a class of rare skin disorder characterized by massive hyperkeratosis with an appearance like spiny scales Biology * ''Hystrix'' (diatom) , a diatom genus * ''Hystrix'' (plant) , a plant genus in the ...
Bunchgrasses of North America Grasses of the United States Grasses of Canada Flora of Ontario Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora without expected TNC conservation status