Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Secale cereale
FAMILY
Poaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Rye generally resembles wheat (genus Triticum) or barley (genus Hordeum) and is apparently frequent as a waif/escape. Since it is planted for roadside stabilization and as a cereal crop, it is likely to turn up almost anywhere. However, it is unlikely that any populations have become truly established and self-reproducing, per Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
An important crop, cultivated for at least 8000 years, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Secale cereale
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Secale cereale
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 24 (2007)
Secale cereale
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Secale cereale
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-22-001:
Secale cereale FAMILY Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Secale cereale
COMMON NAME:
Cereal Rye, Cultivated Rye
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Hitchcock, A.S. (rev. A. Chase). 1950 pnd_sece_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm0505d_12
May Greenville County SC
Roadside
)
JK Marlow s050503_d
May Greenville County SC
Spike 6-15cm long including awns, 12-15mm broad, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow s050503_d1
May Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow s050503_d2
May Greenville County SC
Spikelets alternate on opposite sides of rachis, mostly 2-flowered, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow s050503_e
May Greenville County SC
Leaves caulinge, blades to 20cm long; sheaths glabrous, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow s050503_f
May Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow s050503_g
May Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm0305zc_24
June Greenville County SC
Roadside
In habit resembling wheat, but usually taller, spike more slender, nodding, per Manual of the Grasses of the United States (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950).
COMPARE
seedheads of Bottlebrush Grass, Cereal Rye, Little Barley, and Virginia Wild-rye
)
JK Marlow jkm0007a_26a
July Henderson County NC
Roadside
)
JK Marlow jkm0007a_29a
July Henderson County NC
Roadside
An important crop, cultivated for at least 8000 years, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
)
JK Marlow jkm0007b_04
July Henderson County NC
Roadside
The lemmas have awns 2-6 cm long, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Secale cereale
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Secale cereale
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Secale cereale
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 24
Secale cereale
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Secale cereale
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-22-001:
Secale cereale
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Secale cereale
1348
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Annual
Habitat: Fields; commonly cultivated, uncommonly persistent or volunteering after cultivation, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Eurasia
Uncommon
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate, 2-ranked
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Inflorescence a spike
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Grain
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".