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

The lowlands on each side were waving with a rank growth of wild rye, presenting a very green and beautiful aspect.

From David Crockett His Life and Adventures by John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott

Occasionally there were spacious plains covered with wild rye; natural meadows, with blue grass and clover; and buffaloes, thirty and forty at a time, grazing on them, as in a cultivated pasture.

From Life of George Washington — Volume 01 by Washington Irving