Calamagrostis rubescens
Calamagrostis ophitidis
pine reed grass, pinegrass
serpentine reed grass
(50)60-100(105) cm, unbranched, usually smooth, rarely slightly scabrous beneath the panicles;
nodes (1)2-3(4).
(30) 55-80(100) cm, unbranched, scabrous beneath the panicles;
nodes (1)2(5).
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 usually scabrous, rarely smooth;
ligules (0.5)2-5.5(7) mm, usually truncate, entire to slightly lacerate;
blades (8)10-20(27) cm long, (1.5)2-3(4) mm wide, usually involute, abaxial surfaces usually scabrous, rarely smooth, adaxial surfaces scabrous, glabrous or sparsely hairy, both surfaces with abundant white glands between the veins, visible only with magnification.
(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.
(6)8-11(15) cm long, (1)1.2-1.5 cm wide, contracted, mostly erect, pale green to green;
branches 2-4(4.5) cm, scabridulous, usually spikelet-bearing to the base.
(3)4-4.5(5.5) mm;
rachilla prolongations 0.6-1.5(2) mm, hairs 1.2-2 mm.
(4.5)5-7(8) mm;
rachilla prolongations about 1.5 mm, hairs 1-2 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.
keeled, usually scabrous over the entire surface, rarely only the keels scabrous distally, lateral veins prominent, apices acute to acuminate;
callus hairs 1-1.5(2) mm, 0.2-0.4 times as long as the lemmas, sparse;
lemmas 4.5-6.5 mm, 0-2 mm shorter than the glumes;
awns 5-6(8) mm, attached to the lower 1/10 – 1/5 of the lemmas, exserted less than 2 mm, stout, distinguishable from the callus hairs, bent;
anthers (2.5)3-3.5(4) mm.
= 28, 42, 56.
= 28.
Calamagrostis rubescens
Calamagrostis ophitidis
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 ophitidis grows in meadows, seeps, grasslands, and chaparral, as well as in coniferous forests, on serpentine outcrops and soils, at 50-1100 m. It is known only from Sonoma, Marin, Mendocino, Lake, and Napa counties in California.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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