Annual rye grass Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR

INVASIVE SPECIES ~ ANNUAL RYE Secale cereale

Annual Rye Grass Is An Invasive Species On The Refuge
Photo credit: Robert W. Freckmann
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Annual rye or Italian ryegrass is an annual, often purple at the base.

Grows one to two and a half feet tall.
Leaves are linear, flat and have clasping auricles, often shiny in appearance.
Inflorescence (flowering part of the plant) is a terminal spike with spikelets alternately along the flowering stem.
Spikes can be twelve inches in length.
Annual rye is found along roadsides, waste areas and cultivated crops.

It has been used as a temporary tuft before establishing lawns and ornamentals. Annual rye was first introduced from Europe as a common weed.

For a complete Refuge species list

For in-depth plant information
connect with the U.S. Dept Agriculture Plant Data Base

Last Updated: 2/9/09

INVASIVE PLANTS

Plants that do not grow naturally on this short grass prairie are called "invasive species."

INFORMATION from US Fish & Wildlife