Auricles are visible to the naked eye (on most species)
Short ligule with a ragged top
Leaves feel rough when rubbed between fingers, but when thumbnail is run across the leaf perpendicular to the ridges, the veins don’t feel like “mountain ranges”
Rolled emergent leaf (newest leaf)
Single leaf to start with (monocot)
Often has purple colors
Look for the seed under the soil on the root system. Wild Rye seeds vary in appearance based on species and variety
Germinates in spring or fall when soil temperature is between 39 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit
Different species or individual plants can vary from grass-green to a blue-green
Beware of Look-Alikes: Indiangrass (flattened tiller base), and Switchgrass (ligule looks like a tuft of hair)
