Description: A perennial couch-grass, loosely tufted and without rhizomes, up to about 3 feet tall. The flower-spikes are somewhat like those of common couch (Elymus repens) except that they are curved or drooping, and the flowers have long awns or bristles – these give the plant its English name of ‘bearded couch’.

A rather local species found along river banks in shade.

Other names: Agropyron caninum.

All names: Elymus caninus (L.) L.; Agropyron caninum (L.) P.Beauv.; Agropyron donianum Buch.-White; Elymus trachycaulus ssp. donianus (Link) Gould ex Shinn.; Triticum caninum L.; Roegneria canina (L.) Nevski

Distribution Map from NBN: Elymus caninus at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Elymus caninus at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.