Calamagrostis stricta
Calamagrostis perplexa
narrow hairgrass, narrowspike reedgrass, neglected reed grass, slim-stem reed grass, slipstem reed grass
wood reedgrass
(10)35-90(120) cm, usually unbranched, smooth to slightly scabrous;
nodes 1-3(4).
(80)85-110(120) cm, sometimes branched, smooth or slightly scabrous beneath the panicles;
nodes 4-6.
usually smooth;
collars usually smooth, sometimes scabrous, rarely pubescent;
ligules (0.5)1-5.5(6) mm, truncate to obtuse, usually entire, sometimes lacerate;
blades (5)11-25(34) cm long, (1)1.5-5(6) mm wide, flat or involute, usually scabrous, rarely smooth, sometimes puberulent.
smooth;
collars densely hairy;
ligules (3)4-6(7) mm, lacerate;
blades (10)15-30(35) cm long, (3)4.5-6.5(7) mm wide, flat, scabridulous, adaxial surfaces glabrous or sparsely hairy.
(2)4-18(29) cm long, (0.7)1-2(2.8) cm wide, erect, contracted, sometimes interrupted, pale green to purple;
branches 1.4-5(9.5) mm, smooth or scabrous, usually spikelet-bearing to or near the base, sometimes only to midlength.
10-18(20) cm long, (1)2-3 cm wide, open, erect to nodding, green, purple-tinged;
branches 5-6.5 cm, spikelets usually confined to the distal 1/4-1/2.
2-4(5) mm;
rachilla prolongations 0.5-1.5 mm, hairs 1.5-3 mm.
(3)3.5-4 mm;
rachilla prolongations about 1 mm, hairs about 2 mm.
usually less than 3 times as long as wide, rounded or keeled, usually smooth, rarely scabrous, keels smooth or scabrous, veins prominent to obscure, apices acute;
callus hairs (1)1.5-3(4.5) mm, (0.5)0.7-0.9(1.3) times as long as the lemmas, abundant;
lemmas 2-4(5) mm, 0.1-1.5 mm shorter than the glumes;
awns 1.5-2.5 mm, usually attached to the lower 1/10-1/2 of the lemmas, rarely beyond the midpoint, equaling or exserted slightly beyond the margins of the glumes, usually stout, rarely slender, usually distinguishable from the callus hairs, straight or bent;
anthers (0.9)1.2-1.8(2.4) mm, often sterile.
keeled, scabrous on the keels, lateral veins usually prominent, apices acuminate;
callus hairs 2-3 mm, 0.7-1 times as long as the lemmas, somewhat sparse;
lemmas 3-3.5 mm, 0.5-1 mm shorter than the glumes;
awns 2-3 mm, attached to the lower 1/4-1/3 of the lemmas, not exserted, stout, distinguishable from the callus hairs, bent;
anthers 1-1.5 mm.
= 70.
Calamagrostis stricta
Calamagrostis perplexa
Calamagrostis stricta grows throughout northern North America; it also is found in Europe and northeastern Asia. It grows in habitats ranging from meadows and grassland to wetlands, sandy shorelines, and sand dunes, from sea level to 3400 m. Primarily a species of open settings, it is frequently found in association with shrubs. Both subspecies have a notable but not exclusive association with alkaline to saline substrates.
Calamagrostis stricta comprises both sexual and apomictic populations. Two subspecies, C. stricta subsp. stricta and subsp. inexpansa, intergrade but generally differ as described below. Greene (1984) treated subsp. inexpansa as consisting of the apomictic plants, probably derived from the sexual subsp. stricta. A number of apomictic variants were previously recognized at the species level; among these were C. lacustris (Kearney) Nash and C. fernaldii Louis-Marie, which are morphologically nearly indistinguishable from each other (Greene 1980, 1984).
Plants of short stature and short inflorescences, growing in the north, have been referred to as Calamagrostis stricta subsp. borealis (C. Laest.) Á. Löve & D. Love or C. stricta var. borealis (C. Laest.) Hartm. These intergrade with taller plants; they are not recognized here as a distinct taxonomic entity.
Calamagrostis stricta is sometimes confused with C. lapponica (see previous). In addition to the differences noted in the descriptions and key, the glumes of C. stricta are not as smooth and glossy, and are generally brown at the tip; those of C. lapponica are typically purple.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Calamagrostis perplexa grows on wet rocks and in dry woods at "Thatcher's Pinnacle" [Pinnacle Rock], Tompkins County, New York. There is also an unverified report of this species in Columbia County, New York. This apparently sterile species is intermediate between C. porteri (p. 721) and C. canadensis (see next) (Greene 1980). It is of conservation concern because of its limited distribution.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Spikelets 3-4(5) mm long; callus hairs 2-4.5 mm long; rachilla prolongations 1-1.5 mm long; panicle branches 1.5-9.5 cm long; culms usually scabrous, sometimes smooth | subsp. inexpansa |
1. Spikelets 2-2.5(3) mm long; callus hairs 1-3 mm long; rachilla prolongations 0.5-1 mm long; panicle branches 1.4-4 cm long; culms usually smooth, sometimes slightly scabrous | subsp. stricta |
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