Leymus mollis (Trin.) Pilg.
American lyme grass, American dunegrass
American dune grass is native to Japan, China, Korea, Russia, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and the northern United States. It was previously called Leymus arenarius ssp. mollis. I mention this because these photos could also be an introduced European species, Leymus arenarius. I can’t tell them apart.
Plants: Erect stems are up to 5½′ (1.7 m) tall. They are densely hairy at the tip of the stem, just below the spike.
Leaves: Bluish-green leaf blades approach 3′ (1 m) in length, and up to ½″ (1.5 cm) wide.
Flowers: Dense spikes are 1¾–13″ long ⨉ ⅜–¾″ wide (5–34 ⨉ 1–2 cm). Each flowering spikelet is ½–1¼″ (1.5–3.4 cm) long, containing 3-6 florets.
Fruits: ?
Habitats: Coastal habitats, especially dunes. They tolerate salt spray and limited fresh water, and help to stabilize dunes.
Online References:
6/16/2013 · Birch Point State Park, Owl’s Head, Maine · ≈ 11 × 7″ (28 × 18 cm) 
7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine · ≈ 1 × 2′ (41 × 62 cm) 
7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 27 cm) 
7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 27 cm) 
6/16/2013 · Birch Point State Park, Owl’s Head, Maine · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 21 cm) 
7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine · ≈ 1 × 1½′ (34 × 52 cm) 
7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine · ≈ 1 × 1½′ (34 × 52 cm) 
7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine · ≈ 1 × 2′ (41 × 62 cm) 
6/16/2013 · Birch Point State Park, Owl’s Head, Maine · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm) 
6/16/2013 · Birch Point State Park, Owl’s Head, Maine · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 16 cm) 
6/16/2013 · Birch Point State Park, Owl’s Head, Maine · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 19 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Commelinidae | Dayflowers and spiderworts, and several others |
| Order | Cyperales | Flowering plants including grasses |
| Family | Poaceae | Grasses (but not sedges or rushes) |
| Genus | Leymus | An anagram of Elymus, which all Leymus spp. were formerly classified as, and which was an ancient Greek name for millet |
| Species | mollis | Smooth, or with soft velvety hair |
Leymus mollis description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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