wild rye

American  

noun

1. any grass of the genus Elymus, somewhat resembling rye.

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wild rye British  

noun

1. any of various perennial grasses of the N temperate genus Elymus, resembling cultivated rye in having paired bristly ears or spikes and flat leaves

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Etymology

Origin of wild rye

First recorded in 1745–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wild rye

They also are restoring burned areas with native plants, including coastal sagebrush species and giant wild rye.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2019

The park has 335 acres of green space seeded with fescue, bluestem, wild rye and other native grasses.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 9, 2014

A Canadian wild rye, new as a forage crop, promises heavier yields than the common meadow grass.

From Time Magazine Archive

There was a space along the edge of the river about two hundred feet wide, covered here and there with wild rye, at the roots of which was dried buffalo grass.

From Chiquita, an American Novel The Romance of a Ute Chief's Daughter by Tileston, Merrill

Under her wild rye made a cool, stiff couch.

From The Plow-Woman by Gates, Eleanor