Poaceae

Colorado wildrye

Leymus ambiguus (Vasey & Scribn.) D.R.Dewey

Family: Poaceae
Genus: Leymus

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Colorado wildrye: Elymus ambiguus is more common on the slopes and upper elevations in this area of southeastern Idaho and has a robust bunched habit. Agropyron spicatum is scatt — Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (1)

English: Colorado wildrye

Synonyms

Elymus ambiguus Vasey & Scribn.
Elymus ambiguus var. ambiguus
Elymus ambiguus var. salmonis C.L.Hitchc.
Leymus innovatus subsp. ambiguus (Vasey & Scribn.) Á.Löve
Leymus salina subsp. mojavensis Barkworth & R.J.Atkins
Leymus salina subsp. salmonis (C.Hitchc.) R.J.Atkins
Leymus salina var. mojavensis (Barkworth & R.J.Atkins) C.Yen & J.L.Yang
Leymus salina var. salmonis (C.L.Hitchc.) C.Yen & J.L.Yang
Leymus salinus subsp. salmonis (C.L.Hitchc.) R.J.Atkins

Characteristics

Growth habit: Graminoid
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Lower 48 states: native

Photos

Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Leymus

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.