Calamagrostis porteri
Calamagrostis howellii
Porter's reedgrass
Hovell's reedgrass, Howell's reedgrass
(60)75-120 cm, unbranched, slightly scabrous;
nodes 2-4(5).
(25)35^45(60) cm, unbranched, smooth or slightly scabrous beneath the panicles;
nodes 1-2.
smooth or slightly scabrous;
collars smooth or hairy;
ligules (1)2-5(6) mm, truncate to obtuse, entire or lacerate;
blades 8-40 cm long, (2)3-8(12) mm wide, flat, abaxial surfaces smooth or scabrous, adaxial surfaces smooth or slightly scabrous, occasionally with hairs.
and collars smooth;
ligules (2.5)3.5-6 mm, acute, lacerate;
blades (9)12-20(25) cm long, 1-2.5(3) mm wide, flat to involute, abaxial surfaces smooth, adaxial surfaces finely scabrous, glabrous or sparsely hairy.
(5)10-18(22) cm long, 0.8-3(7) cm wide, contracted to open, often slightly nodding, sometimes erect, green to pale purple;
branches (1.5)2-7(7.5) cm, scabrous, usually spikelet-bearing on the distal 1/2 - 2/3, sometimes to the base.
(5)7-12(15) cm long, (2)3.5-6.5(8) cm wide, loose, open, straw-colored or green to purplish;
branches (2)3.5-5(7) cm, smooth or sparsely scabrous, spikelets usually confined to the distal 1/2.
4-5(6) mm;
rachilla prolongations 0.5-1 mm, hairs 1.5-2(3.5) mm.
(5.5)6-8 mm;
rachilla prolongations 1-1.5(2) mm, hairs (1.5)2-2.5(3) mm.
rounded to slightly keeled, keels scabrous towards the apices, lateral veins obscure to slightly prominent, not raised, apices acute to acuminate;
callus hairs 1.5-2(3) mm, 0.4-0.7 times as long as the lemmas, sparse;
lemmas 3-4.5 mm, 0.5-1.5(2) mm shorter than the glumes;
awns 3-4(4.5) mm, attached to the lower 1/10 – 3/10 of the lemmas, exserted, stout, easily distinguished from the callus hairs, strongly bent;
anthers 2-2.5 mm.
rounded to slightly keeled, smooth or scabrous distally, lateral veins usually prominent and raised, apices acuminate;
callus hairs 2-3(4.5) mm, 0.4-0.6(0.7) times as long as the lemmas, abundant;
lemmas 4.5-5 mm, about 2 mm shorter than the glumes;
awns (10)13-16 mm, attached to the lower 1/5 – 2/5 of the lemmas, exserted, stout, easily distinguished from the callus hairs, strongly bent;
anthers (2)2.5-3(4) mm.
= 56, 84-+104.
= 28.
Calamagrostis porteri
Calamagrostis howellii
Calamagrostis porteri grows in dry chestnut/oak forests, often on rocky ridgetops, piedmont bluffs, and slopes, at (100)600-1300 m. It is now restricted to the northeastern and central United States. Historically, its range extended from Missouri and Arkansas east to New York and Alabama. Flowering appears to be a response to disturbance; plants in undisturbed habitats remain vegetative and may go unnoticed. Thus the species may be more widespread and abundant than reported.
Calamagrostis porteri and C. rubescens (see next) appear to be closely related. They may be part of the general phenomenon of eastern and western vicariants. The apparently sterile C. perplexa (p. 726) is intermediate between C. porteri and C. canadensis (Greene 1980).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Calamagrostis howellii grows on dry rocky slopes, banks, ledges, and in cliff crevices, sometimes on basalt, from 100-500 m. It grows only in the Columbia River Gorge of Washington and Oregon.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaf blades glaucous on both surfaces; leaf collars glabrous | subsp. insperata |
1. Leaf blades light green and glaucous on the adaxial surfaces, darker green on the abaxial surfaces; leaf collars usually with prominent tufts of hair, rarely glabrous | subsp. porteri |
IL Wildflowers
MD Biodiversity
MO Plants
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
OR
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
