Calamagrostis koelerioides
Calamagrostis tacomensis
dense-pine reed grass, fire reedgrass
Rainier reedgrass, Tacoma reedgrass
(26)60-85(120) cm, unbranched, slightly scabrous;
nodes 2-3(5).
(20)30-55(95) cm, unbranched, smooth or slightly scabrous beneath the panicles;
nodes (1)2(5).
and collars usually scabrous, rarely smooth, glabrous;
ligules (1.5) 2-4.5(7) mm, truncate to obtuse, entire or sometimes lacerate;
blades (2)9-20(30) cm long, (2)2.5-4.5(8) mm wide, flat, slightly scabrous, adaxial surfaces glabrous or sparsely hairy.
and collars smooth or slightly scabrous;
ligules (3)3.5-5.5(6) mm, usually truncate to obtuse, usually entire, sometimes lacerate;
blades (6)7-14(30) cm long, (1.5)2-2.5(4) mm wide, flat, abaxial surfaces usually smooth, rarely slightly scabrous, adaxial surfaces usually slightly scabrous, rarely smooth, glabrous or sparsely hairy.
(4)10-13(16) cm long, about 1 cm wide, contracted, erect to slightly nodding, often slightly interrupted towards the base, straw-colored or pale green to pale purple;
branches (1.1)2.8-4(6) cm, scabrous, spikelet-bearing to the base.
(5)7-10(18) cm long, (0.5)1-2(3) cm wide, loosely contracted, sometimes open, erect to slightly nodding, shiny green and purple;
branches (2)2.3-4(6) cm, scabrous, usually spikelet-bearing on the distal 2/3, sometimes to the base.
(4)4.5-6(7) mm;
rachilla prolongations 1.5-2.5(3) mm, hairs 1.5-2 mm.
(4)6-6.5(7) mm;
rachilla prolongations 1.5-2(2.5) mm, hairs (1.5)2(3) mm.
slightly keeled, keels smooth or slightly scabrous distally, lateral veins visible but not prominent, apices acute;
callus hairs 1.5-2 mm, 0.3-0.4 times as long as the lemmas, sparse;
lemmas (3.5)4-5(6) mm, 0.5-1.5 mm shorter than the glumes;
awns 4-5.5 mm, attached to the lower 1/10 – 1/5 of the lemmas, exserted, sometimes barely so, stout, distinguishable from the callus hairs, bent;
anthers 2-3.5 mm.
often green with a purple patch at the base, keeled, keels smooth or sparsely scabrous on the distal 1/2, lateral veins usually prominent, apices usually acute, sometimes short-acuminate, not twisted;
callus hairs (1.2)2(2.5) mm, (0.3)0.4-0.5(0.6) times as long as the lemmas, abundant;
lemmas (3.5)4-5(5.5) mm, (0.5)1.5-2(3) mm shorter than the glumes;
awns (5.5)7-8.5(10) mm, attached to the lower 1/10-1/3 of the lemmas, exserted more than 2 mm, easily distinguished from the callus hairs, strongly bent;
anthers (1)2-3(3.5) mm.
= 28.
= unknown.
Calamagrostis koelerioides
Calamagrostis tacomensis
Calamagrostis koelerioides grows in mountain meadows, chaparral, and Jeffrey pine and blue spruce forests, and on talus slopes, dry hills, and ridges, occasionally on serpentine soils, at 50-2100 m. It extends from Washington south to southern California and east to Montana and western Wyoming.
Calamagrostis koelerioides is similar to C. rubescens (p. 723). The two have traditionally been distinguished by the presence of hairs on the leaf collars in C. rubescens, and their absence in C. koelerioides; a more reliable differentiation is the longer lemmas, glumes, and awns of C. koelerioides compared to C. rubescens.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Calamagrostis tacomensis grows on montane to alpine slopes in dry or wet meadows, seeps, rocky talus slopes, and cliff crevices, at 400-2200 m. It grows only in the mountains of western Washington and in the Steens Mountains of southeastern Oregon. It reaches its highest known elevations in the Steens Mountains.
This species has previously been identified as either Calamagrostis purpurascens (p. 710) (C.L. Hitchcock et al. 1969) or C. sesquiflora (p. 714) (Kawano 1965). It differs from C. purpurascens in having glabrous leaves, generally longer awns and inflorescence branches, and smoother glumes. It differs from C. sesquiflora in having narrower leaves, callus hairs that are longer relative to the lemmas, longer inflorescence branches, and glume apices that are not twisted, as well as in often preferring drier habitats.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
WA
