Grass or grass-like · Poaceae

Riverbank wildrye

Elymus riparius

Riverbank wildrye is recorded as native to 24 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 455 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

Key facts · USDA PLANTS

Riverbank wildrye at a glance

Native in: 455 counties, across 24 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 4a PLANTS minimum temperature −33°F
Mature height: 4.5 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water: Tolerates shade High water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 4a. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of −33°F; zone 4a winters bottom out at −30°F, the coldest half-zone that stays within that limit.

Counties where it is native

The 15 counties with the most ZIP codes among the 455 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Arkansas 7 counties
Connecticut statewide record
Delaware 1 county
District of Columbia 1 county
Georgia 4 counties
Illinois 16 counties
Indiana 47 counties
Kentucky 32 counties
Maine 5 counties
Massachusetts 7 counties
Mississippi 4 counties
Missouri 18 counties
New Hampshire 9 counties
New Jersey 12 counties
New York 46 counties
North Carolina 5 counties
Ohio 59 counties
Pennsylvania 66 counties
Rhode Island 2 counties
Tennessee 20 counties
Vermont 9 counties
Virginia 45 counties
West Virginia 23 counties
Wisconsin 17 counties

Growing traits

Values from the PLANTS characteristics record. “Not recorded” means PLANTS has no value; nothing here is estimated except the zone.

Growth

Growth habit: Graminoid
Duration: Perennial
Mature height: 4.5 ft
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth form: Bunch
Shape: Erect
Lifespan: Moderate
Active growth period: Spring and Summer

Light and water

Shade tolerance: Tolerant (tolerates shade)
Moisture use: High water use
Drought tolerance: Low
Tolerance of waterlogged soil: Medium
Precipitation range: 24 to 55 in per year

Soil

Soil textures: Coarse, medium and fine
pH range: 4.5 to 7.2
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: Medium
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Medium
Minimum root depth: 10 in

Climate

Minimum temperature: −33°F
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 4a and warmer
Minimum frost-free days: 100
Fire tolerance: High

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color: Yellow
Showy flowers: No
Bloom period: Mid Summer
Foliage color: Dark Green
Showy in fall: No
Keeps leaves: No
Fruit color: Brown

Other

Toxicity: None
Nitrogen fixation: None
Nursery availability: Routinely Available
Family: Poaceae
PLANTS symbol: ELRI

Source & data date

Source: USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).; Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.; USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation: USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.; Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date: Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Scope: Elymus riparius (PLANTS symbol ELRI).
Method: A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

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