Calamagrostis rubescens
Calamagrostis deschampsioides
pine reed grass, pinegrass
calamagrostide fausse-deschampsie, circumpolar reedgrass
(50)60-100(105) cm, unbranched, usually smooth, rarely slightly scabrous beneath the panicles;
nodes (1)2-3(4).
(10)15-45(60) cm, unbranched, smooth beneath the panicles;
nodes 1-2.
smooth or slightly scabrous;
collars often hairy, rarely glabrous;
ligules (2)3-5(6) mm, truncate to obtuse, often lacerate;
blades (6)8-40(42) cm long, (1)2-5(8) mm wide, usually flat, abaxial surfaces smooth or slightly scabrous, adaxial surfaces smooth or scabrous, glabrous or sparsely hairy.
and collars smooth;
ligules (0.5)1-2.5(3) mm, truncate to obtuse, usually entire, sometimes lacerate;
blades (2)3-8(15) cm long, (1)1.5-2.5(3) mm wide, flat or somewhat involute, abaxial surfaces smooth, adaxial surfaces smooth or slightly scabrous, glabrous or sparsely hairy.
(5)6-15(25) cm long, (0.7)1.5-2(2.7) cm wide, contracted to somewhat open, erect, usually greenish, infrequently purplish;
branches (1.2)2-4(10) cm, usually slightly scabrous, rarely densely long-scabrous, spikelet-bearing to the base.
3-10(12) cm long, 1-4.5 cm wide, pyramidal, open, erect, green to dark purple: branches (2)2.5-4(5.5) cm, spreading, smooth or sparsely scabrous, spikelets usually confined to the distal 1/2.
(3)4-4.5(5.5) mm;
rachilla prolongations 0.6-1.5(2) mm, hairs 1.2-2 mm.
4-5.5(7) mm;
rachilla prolongations 1-2 mm, hairs (0.5)1-1.5 mm.
rounded to slightly keeled, mostly smooth, keels rarely slightly scabrous, lateral veins usually obscure, rarely prominent, apices acute;
callus hairs (0.5)1-1.5(2.5) mm, 0.2-0.5(0.7) times as long as the lemmas, sparse;
lemmas 2.5-3.5(4) mm, (0.5)1-2 mm shorter than the glumes;
awns 2.8-3.5(4.5) mm, usually attached to the lower 1/5 of the lemmas, rarely higher, exserted, stout and readily distinguished from the callus hairs, strongly bent;
anthers (1)1.3-2(2.6) mm.
rounded, usually smooth, sometimes scabrous along the midvein, lateral veins mostly obscure, apices acute to acuminate;
callus hairs 2-3 mm, 0.4-0.7 times as long as the lemmas, abundant;
lemmas 3.5^1.5(5.5) mm, 0.5-1(1.5) mm shorter than the glumes;
awns 3-4.5(5.5) mm, attached to the lower 1/3-1/2 of the lemmas, usually exserted, rarely included within the glumes, slender but distinguishable from the callus hairs, weakly to strongly bent;
anthers (1.5)2-2.5 mm.
= 28, 42, 56.
= 28.
Calamagrostis rubescens
Calamagrostis deschampsioides
Calamagrostis rubescens grows at 50-2800 m, usually in open montane pine or aspen forests and parklands, infrequently in sagebrush steppes, chaparral, and meadows. It is primarily a species of interior western North America, although it reaches the Pacific coast in southern California. The distribution extends from central British Columbia and Alberta east to the Cypress Hills of eastern Alberta and the Pasquia and Cub hills of Saskatchewan, south to western California, Nevada, northeastern Utah, and central Colorado. It is considered threatened in Saskatchewan.
Calamagrostis rubescens is similar to C. koelerioides (p. 721). The two have traditionally been distinguished by the presence of hairs on the leaf collars of C. rubescens, and their absence from C. koelerioides; a more reliable differentiation is the shorter lemmas, glumes, and awns of C. rubescens. Calamagrostis rubescens and C. porteri (p. 721) appear to be closely related. They may be part of the general phenomenon of eastern and western vicariants.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Calamagrostis deschampsioides is a halophyte that grows, in the Flora region, on coastal dunes and beach ridges, gravel beaches, and in brackish coastal marshes, sometimes with Carex lyngbyei, at or near sea level. Its distribution is circumboreal, extending in North America from the islands of the Bering Sea and coastal Alaska, including the panhandle as far south as 56° N latitude, across the arctic coast to Hudson Bay and northern Labrador. It also extends from the arctic coast of Europe to Siberia and Japan. The alpine habitat reported for the Japanese plants suggests that they might belong to a different taxon.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
