''Leymus multicaulis'', also known as manystem wild rye or manystem lyme grass, is a species of the genus ''

Leymus ''Leymus'' is a genus of plants in the grass family Poaceae (Gramineae). It is widespread across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. * ''Leymus aemulans'' - Xinjiang, Central Asia * ''Leymus ajanensis'' - Siberia, Russian Far East, Alaska * '' Ley ...

''. The species name of manystem wild rye, ''multicaulis'', suggests the “many stems” of the species. ''Leymus multicaulis'' is considered a type 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 ...

. Manystem wild rye has only one

cotyledon A cotyledon (; ; ; , gen. (), ) is a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant, and is defined as "the embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, one or more of which are the first to appear from a germinating seed." The numb ...

in each of its seeds. The

xylem Xylem is one of the two types of transport tissue in vascular plants, the other being phloem. The basic function of xylem is to transport water from roots to stems and leaves, but it also transports nutrients. The word ''xylem'' is derived from ...

and

phloem Phloem (, ) is the living biological tissue, tissue in vascular plants that transports the soluble organic compounds made during photosynthesis and known as ''photosynthates'', in particular the sugar sucrose, to the rest of the plant. This tran ...

within the roots are arranged in a ring pattern. The

vascular bundle A vascular bundle is a part of the transport system in vascular plants. The transport itself happens in the stem, which exists in two forms: xylem and phloem. Both these tissues are present in a vascular bundle, which in addition will inclu ...

s are scattered throughout the stem. These traits make ''Leymus multicaulis'' a

monocot Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...

. ''Leymus multicaulis'' is a flowering plant, or

angiosperm Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

Morphology

''Leymus multicaulis'' can grow up to 19 to 32 inches tall. ''Leymus multicaulis'' grows in dense clumps, containing multiple stems. This wild rye can start its growth from a seed or a

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

, growing into mature roots and stems. The stems are node-less and smooth. Hair follicles can be found on the stem, helping ''Leymus multicaulis'' trap water. The leaf blades are a dark shade of green. The leaves of ''Leymus multicaulis'' are inelastic in its early stages of growth. Once the plant has matured the leaves become rolled. The veins on the leaf form a parallel pattern, containing primary and secondary veins. The veins are widely spaced throughout the leaf. ''Leymus multicaulis'' is an

allopolyploid 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 ...

organism, containing multiple complete sets of chromosomes.

Habitat and ecology

''Leymus multicaulis'' originates in

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago a ...

, its distribution extending from the

Volga River The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the List of rivers of Europe#Rivers of Europe by length, longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Cas ...

Delta to

Xinjiang, China Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

. Only recently has ''Leymus multicaulis'' been introduced to the United States, particularly in the western regions, mainly

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

and

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

. Manystem wild rye is adapted to alkaline meadows and saline soils. It is also found growing as a weed throughout fields, roadsides and around human habitats. ''Leymus multicaulis'' is adapted to wet saline meadows, where there is heavy rainfall. From mountainous areas to bottomlands, ''Leymus multicaulis'' is able to grow productively. Unlike the other species of genus ''Leymus'', ''L. multicaulis'' can tolerate harsh winter conditions.

Usage

There are many uses for ''Leymus multicaulis''. Many ''Leymus'' species are primarily used as a food source. ''Leymus multicaulis'' is mainly used for recovery of wet, saline soils. It can also be put to use on saline-affected, weakened cropland and pastureland. Manystem wild rye has many uses for maintaining cropland and pastureland throughout Eurasia and western United States. It helps in retaining the soil by inhibiting wind and water effects. It is also a major food source to livestock and wildlife.

Establishment

''Leymus multicaulis'' is a relatively easy plant to grow. In northern regions, it is highly recommended to plant ''Leymus multicaulis'' seeds during the fall season. This allows the seed coat to become more active. If planted during the spring, the seed coat stays inactive and must be mechanically broken. One to two years are required for the manystem wild rye to grow into a mature plant. Seeds are initially weak and develop at slow rates. The seedlings are no match for weeds. It is best to plant a seedling in an area with low concentration of weeds. ''Leymus multicaulis'' is tolerant of cold weather; this allows the wild rye to continue development as the winter season passes. Once the plant has matured, the manystem wild rye grass can live a long life. The surroundings of the mature ''Leymus multicaulis'' can influence the lifespan of the plant. For example, if the mature plant is in an area with high concentration of

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...

, it is in a healthy environment and will have a longer lifespan. If there are high concentrations of salt and low levels of moisture it will not survive very long. The environment of the developing ''Leymus multicaulis'' plays a major role in the lifespan of the plant.

Research with ''Leymus multicaulis''

Its uniqueness within genus ''Leymus'' makes it a popular species to study. Morphology and Cytology of Intergeneric Hybrids involving Leymus multicaulis was a research project conducted by Gen-Lou Sun, Chi-Yen, and Jun-Liang Yang in 1994. They hybridized ''Leymus multicaulis'' with three different species, '' Psathyrostachys huashanica'', '' Psathyrostachys juncea'', and ''

Leymus secalinus ''Leymus'' is a genus of plants in the grass family Poaceae (Gramineae). It is widespread across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. * ''Leymus aemulans'' - Xinjiang, Central Asia * ''Leymus ajanensis'' - Siberia, Russian Far East, Alaska * '' Ley ...

''. Sun, Yang and Yen tested and studied the morphology and

meiotic Meiosis (; , since it is a reductional division) is a special type of cell division of germ cells in sexually-reproducing organisms that produces the gametes, such as sperm or egg cells. It involves two rounds of division that ultimately res ...

behavior in the pollen mother cells of the hybrid species. They found that the hybrid species showed intraspecific pairing between the ''Leymus'' species, being more frequent in ''Leymus'' and wheat hybrids. A study by Kesara Anamthawat-Jónsson and Sigrídur K Bödvarsdóttir later used the results of the first study to find high

genetic diversity Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species, it ranges widely from the number of species to differences within species and can be attributed to the span of survival for a species. It is dis ...

within ''Leymus'' and ''Psathyrostachys''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6538095 multicaulis Grasses of Asia Grasses of Europe Grasses of China Grasses of Russia Flora of South European Russia Flora of Central Asia Flora of Altai (region) Flora of Xinjiang