This annual grain crop (rye) is widely grown in North America for its grain or for reclamation of bare dry soil. Plants sometimes establish from seed scattered away from fields, but the species is not independently naturalized in Ky. S. cereale is sometimes confused with awned forms of Triticum aestivum (wheat). In both genera, spikelets are usually single at each node of the rachis; the key in FNA 24 indicates erroneously that Secale has paired spikelets (which do have 2-3 florets). Secale differs from Triticum as follows (Clapham et al. 1981; GC, Y, FNA 24): glumes linear to subulate (versus ovate to lanceolate), keeled but otherwise veinless (versus keeled at least distally and with 1-2 or more additional veins), long bristly-scabrous on keels (versus not so); spikelets with 2 or rarely 3 florets (versus 2-9, the distal ones male or sterile); lemma keels pectinate-ciliate with 0.5-0.8 mm scabrules (versus scabrous with shorter scabrules), the veins convergent into a long awn (versus not convergent but often awned); anthers usually 6-8 mm long (versus 2.5-4 mm). Lemma awns in S. cereale are usually 1-5 cm long; those in T. aestivum are absent in most modern cultivars but can be up to 12 cm. Reported chromosome number (2n) in S. cereale is 14, 21 and 28; in T. aestivum it is only 42. Various hybrids between the two genera, known as X Triticosecale (or "triticale"), have been produced artificially and are becoming widely grown as cereals (FNA 24).