Calamagrostis stricta
Calamagrostis porteri
narrow hairgrass, narrowspike reedgrass, neglected reed grass, slim-stem reed grass, slipstem reed grass
Porter's reedgrass
(10)35-90(120) cm, usually unbranched, smooth to slightly scabrous;
nodes 1-3(4).
(60)75-120 cm, unbranched, slightly scabrous;
nodes 2-4(5).
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 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.
(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.
(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.
2-4(5) mm;
rachilla prolongations 0.5-1.5 mm, hairs 1.5-3 mm.
4-5(6) mm;
rachilla prolongations 0.5-1 mm, hairs 1.5-2(3.5) 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.
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.
= 56, 84-+104.
Calamagrostis stricta
Calamagrostis porteri
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 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.)
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 |
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 |
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