the rye plant

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• cultivated rye
• rye
• Cultivated annual rye
• Ryecorn
• cereal rye

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Secale ancestrale
• Triticum cereale
• Secale cereale var. aestivum
• Secale cereale f. montaniforme
• Secale cereale var. arundinaceum
• Secale cereale var. tuberculatoarticulatum
• Secale cereale var. hybernum
• Secale cereale var. multicaule
• Triticum cereale f. brevispicatum
• Triticum cereale var. montaniforme
• Secale cereale subsp. ancestrale
• Secale cereale var. vernum
• Secale cereale var. vernum
• Secale cereale var. arduennense
• Secale cereale var. triflorum
• Secale turkestanicum
• Secale cereale var. spontaneum
• Secale cereale var. compositum
• Secale cereale var. ancestrale
• Secale cereale var. vernum
• Secale cereale var. ramosum
• Secale cereale indoeuropaeum
• Secale cereale var. biflorum
• Secale cereale rigidum
• Secale cereale subsp. tetraploidum
• Secale cereale subsp. tsitsinii
• Secale cereale subsp. aestivum
• Secale ancestrale var. aidinum
• Secale ancestrale var. arenosum
• Secale ancestrale var. karaburun
• Secale cereale var. piliferum
• Secale ancestrale var. spontaneum
• Secale cereale var. rufescens
• Secale arundinaceum
• Secale cereale var. caducum
• Secale cereale f. brevispicatum
• Secale cereale var. setosohepaticum
• Secale cereale var. hepaticum
• Secale cereale var. velutinorubellum
• Secale cereale var. setosocaducum
• Secale cereale var. tuberculocaducum
• Secale cereale var. rubellum
• Secale cereale var. setosoclausopaleatum
• Secale triflorum
• Secale cereale var. tuberculatum
• Secale cereale var. rufum
• Secale vernum
• Secale cereale var. setosofuscum
• Secale cereale var. setosum
• Secale cereale var. tuberculatorufum
• Secale cereale var. tuberculatofuscum
• Secale cereale var. setosorufum
• Secale cereale var. tuberculatovulpinum
• Secale cereale var. brunneum
• Secale cereale var. setosobrunneum
• Secale cereale var. velutinorufum
• Secale cereale var. setosovulpinum
• Secale cereale var. badium

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Poales and family Poaceae, it is classified under the genus Secale.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant, Secale cerealum, exhibits a wide geographical distribution across several European regions. In Northern Europe, it is commonly found throughout Great Britain and Ireland. Moving into Middle Europe, the species is well-established in Austria. It also maintains a significant presence in Belgium within the same central region. Furthermore, its range extends through the territories of Czechia and Slovakia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Secale cereale is characterized by its presence in anthropic areas (Área Antrópicana), where it thrives due to human cultivation and land management. This species is found within a specific altitudinal gradient, occupying an elevational range that begins at 1500 m AMSL and extends up to a maximum of 3000 m AMSL.

Elevational range max:

3000 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

1500 m AMSL

Habitat :

Área Antrópica

Life history

The life history of Secale cereale is characterized by an annual lifecycle, meaning the plant completes its entire developmental process from germination to seed production within a single growing season. As a therophyte, it survives unfavorable environmental conditions by producing seeds that remain dormant until the following season, rather than maintaining vegetative structures above ground. This life form allows the species to thrive in diverse ecological niches by prioritizing rapid reproductive development and seed dispersal to ensure the continuation of its lineage.

Life form :

therophyte

Lifecycle :

annual

Morphology

The morphology of Secale cereale is characterized by a graminoid growth form, specifically classified as a non-woody herb. As a self-supporting plant, it does not exhibit climbing behavior, such as lianas or vines, and functions as an independent organism rather than a parasite. It is a terrestrial species, lacking any aquatic, semiaquatic, or epiphytic tendencies. In terms of stature, the plant displays significant variability in height, with a minimum height of 0.5 m, a mean height of approximately 1.05 m, and a maximum height reaching up to 2 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

graminoid

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

2 m

Plant height mean:

1.05 m

Plant height min:

0.5 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Secale cereale is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its metabolic processes and environmental adaptations. Its vegetative structure features elongated leaves, with lengths typically ranging from a minimum of 10 cm up to a maximum of 30 cm. The leaf morphology is relatively narrow, displaying a mean width of 1.1 cm, though individual measurements can vary between a minimum of 0.5 cm and a maximum width of 1 cm. Furthermore, the plant is strictly non-carnivorous, relying entirely on autotrophic nutrition through its photosynthetic mechanisms rather than the capture of prey.

Carnivory :

non-carnivorous

Leaf length max:

30 cm

Leaf length min:

10 cm

Leaf width max:

1 cm

Leaf width mean:

1.1 cm

Leaf width min:

0.5 cm

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Secale cereale is characterized by a sexual process, as asexual reproduction is entirely absent. The plant produces a spike-type inflorescence, which typically ranges in length from a minimum of 0.05 m to a maximum of 0.15 m. Flowering occurs primarily during the summer months, starting in June and concluding in July. The individual flowers are relatively small, with lengths varying between 0.8 cm and 1.5 cm. As an abiotic pollination system, the plant relies on wind as its primary pollination syndrome to facilitate fertilization. Following successful pollination, the plant develops dry fruits containing seeds. The seeds exhibit highly consistent morphological traits, maintaining a mean length, width, and volume of approximately 7 mm, 2.5 mm, and 21 mm³, respectively. The seed mass varies slightly, with a mean of 0.0281875 g, ranging from a minimum of 0.01447 g to a maximum of 0.0285 g. Finally, the dispersal of these seeds is primarily anthropochorous, meaning they are distributed through human activity.

Dispersal syndrome :

anthropochorous

Flower length max:

1.5 cm

Flower length min:

0.8 cm

Flowering time :

Jun

Flowering time :

Jul

Fruit dryness :

dry

Inflorescence :

spike

Inflorescence length max:

0.15 m

Inflorescence length min:

0.05 m

Pollination syndrome :

wind

Pollination syndrome :

abiotic

Reproduction asexual :

absent

Seed length mean:

7 mm

Seed mass max:

0.0285 g

Seed mass mean:

0.0281875 g

Seed mass min:

0.01447 g

Seed volume max:

21 mm³

Seed width mean:

2.5 mm

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Secale cereale has 53 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include 5-Methyl THF, 5-formyl-THF, Antitrypsin, Ash, CALCIUM.

5-Methyl THF

1. Zeitschrift fur Lebensmittel-Untersuchung und -Forschung

5-formyl-THF

1. Zeitschrift fur Lebensmittel-Untersuchung und -Forschung

Antitrypsin

1. Roczniki Akademii Medycznej w Bialymstoku (1995)

Ash

1. Dr. Duke

CALCIUM

1. Dr. Duke

COPPER

1. Dr. Duke

ERGOTAMINE

1. Advances in biochemical engineering/biotechnology

FAT

1. Dr. Duke

GLUTAMIC ACID

1. Dr. Duke

Gadoleic acid

1. Dr. Duke

Activities

Secale cereale has 303 reported activities identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, 5-Alpha-Reductase-Inhibitor, ACE-Inhibitor, Acarifuge, Acnegenic.

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Archivio italiano di urologia, andrologia : organo ufficiale [di] Societa italiana di ecografia urologica e nefrologica

5-Alpha-Reductase-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

ACE-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Acarifuge

1. Dr. Duke

Acnegenic

1. Dr. Duke

Adjuvant

1. Dr. Duke

Allergenic

1. Dr. Duke

Alpha-Reductase-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Analgesic

1. Dr. Duke

Anemiagenic

1. Dr. Duke

Medicinal Uses

Secale cereale has 4 reported medicinal uses identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, appetite, blood pressure, gingivitis.

Most Reported Uses