Important chiefly in central and N Europe. The GRAIN, or seed, is used for pumpernickel and the lighter-colored rye bread (made from a mixture of rye and wheat flour), as a stock feed, and in the distillation of whiskey and gin.

The plant, which grows well in areas where the soil is too poor and the climate too cool for wheat, is also grown for hay and pasturage and as green manure and a COVER CROP. Russia leads in world production. ERGOT, a fungus infection, is poisonous and can make rye unsafe for use.

Rye grass
short-lived perennial, leafy, tufted plant belonging to the family Gramineae (grass family). Two species are grown in the United States, Italian rye grass (Lolium multiflorum),
the leading hay grass of Europe, and English, or perennial, rye grass (L. perenne).

In parts of the United States where winters are mild, both are sowed, often mixed with other grains, for pasturage.
Italian rye grass is much used for lawns in warmer regions of the United States. Perennial rye grass was probably the first of all perennial grasses to be cultivated pure for forage. Poison rye grass, or darnel (L. temulentum), reputed to be poisonous, grows in grain fields and waste places; it is thought to be the tare of the Bible.

Common Name: Blue Rye Grass

Botanical Name: Elymus condensatus

Family: Poaceae

Height: Up to 3 feet

Width: Same as height

Growth Rate: Moderate

Sunlight: Full sun to Partial shade

Water: Light to Moderate irrigation

Soil: Any

Diseases/Pests: None

Description: A clumping evergreen herbaceous perennial. Leaves are a silvery-gray color. Blue flowers are produced on stalks up to three feet above the foliage. Native to: San Miguel Island

ANNUAL RYEGRASS (Lolium rigidum)
Description:

Erect plant, up to 90cm in height. Shiny hairless leaves. Stems are reddish-purple toward the base of the plant. Leaves have auricles present, distinguishing it from phalaris.

Problem: Competes with pasture and crops.

Centeno - Rye - Rye Grass Link

Properties of Centeno valued by the Aztec's

Food,  Laxative and Cures Headaches.