''Elymus hoffmannii'' is a species of

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

known by the common name RS wheatgrass. It was described as a new species in 1996. It became known to science when some grasses were collected in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

in 1979 and one type was successfully bred out, proving to be a natural

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

. ''E. hoffmannii'' is derived from this hybrid between '' Elymus repens'' and the bluebunch wheatgrasses (''

Pseudoroegneria ''Elymus'' is a genus of perennial plants with approximately 150 species in the grass family, related to rye, wheat, and other widely grown cereal grains. ''Elymus'' is a cosmopolitan genus, represented by species across all continents of the ...

'' spp.) of Turkey,Jensen, K. B. and K. H. Asay. (1996)
Cytology and morphology of ''Elymus hoffmanni'' (Poaceae: Triticeae): A new species from the Erzurum Province of Turkey.
''International Journal of Plant Sciences'' 157(6) 750-58. such as ''

Pseudoroegneria spicata ''Pseudoroegneria spicata'' is a species of grass known by the common name bluebunch wheatgrass. This native western North American perennial bunchgrass is also known by the scientific synonyms ''Elymus spicatus'' and ''Agropyron spicatum''. The g ...

''.''Elymus hoffmannii''.
USDA NRCS Plant Guide. This is a rhizomatous perennial grass with stems up to 1.35 m tall. The spikes are up to half a metre long with spikelets up to 2.7 cm in length. This species can be distinguished from its relative, ''E. repens'', by its smaller rhizomes, longer leaves, and shorter awns. This grass is used for grazing livestock. There are several

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s available, including 'NewHy', which combines "the vigor, productivity, salt tolerance and persistence of quackgrass with the

drought resistance Drought tolerance is the ability to which a plant maintains its biomass production during arid or drought conditions. Some plants are naturally adapted to dry conditions'','' surviving with protection mechanisms such as desiccation tolerance, detox ...

, growth habit, seed quality and forage quality of bluebunch wheatgrass."Gordon, K
Forage Focus NewHy offers more than salt tolerance.
''Beef Magazine'' December 1, 1999. It remains edible for livestock later in the season than other wheatgrasses, and it withstands grazing pressure.'Newhy' Hybrid Wheatgrass Long Range Field Planting Plan.
USDA NRCS. It can produce two or more

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated ...

harvests. Another cultivar is 'AC Saltlander', which is especially tolerant of higher

soil salinity Soil salinity is the salt content in the soil; the process of increasing the salt content is known as salinization. Salts occur naturally within soils and water. Salination can be caused by natural processes such as mineral weathering or by the ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5368483 hoffmannii Plants described in 1996