Siberian Lyme Grass

Leymus racemosus is a species of perennial wild rye known by the common name mammoth wild rye. It is native to southeastern and eastern Europe, Middle Asia, the Caucasus, Siberia, China, Mongolia, and parts of North America. In New Zealand, it is an introduced species and is regarded as an environmental weed. Culms are 50–100 cm long, and 10–12 mm in diameter.

Wheat is the primary source of grain in the human food supply worldwide today. Especially with the current population boom, there is a strong pressure to increase wheat production to sustain the global food demand. Several factors threaten crop expansion into new areas. Scientists have been investigating evolutionary relatives of wheat to incorporate into the modern cultivar to improve its resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Leymus racemosus is one such relative that has shown tremendous potential in this regard.