Calamagrostis tacomensis
Calamagrostis nutkaensis
Rainier reedgrass, Tacoma reedgrass
Nootka reedgrass, Pacific reed grass, reedgrass
(20)30-55(95) cm, unbranched, smooth or slightly scabrous beneath the panicles;
nodes (1)2(5).
(42)55-105 (150) cm, stout, unbranched, smooth or slightly scabrous beneath the panicles;
nodes 1-2(3).
and collars smooth or slightly scabrous;
ligules (3)3.5-5.5(6) mm, usually truncate to obtuse, usually entire, sometimes lacerate;
blades (6)7-14(30) cm long, (1.5)2-2.5(4) mm wide, flat, abaxial surfaces usually smooth, rarely slightly scabrous, adaxial surfaces usually slightly scabrous, rarely smooth, glabrous or sparsely hairy.
and collars smooth;
ligules (0.5)1-4(5.5) mm, usually truncate, entire, often hidden by the expanded collars;
blades (4)10-41(56) cm long, (2)4-10(20) mm wide, flat, usually erect, abaxial surfaces smooth, adaxial surfaces smooth or slightly scabrous, glabrous or sparsely hairy.
(5)7-10(18) cm long, (0.5)1-2(3) cm wide, loosely contracted, sometimes open, erect to slightly nodding, shiny green and purple;
branches (2)2.3-4(6) cm, scabrous, usually spikelet-bearing on the distal 2/3, sometimes to the base.
(8)12-23(33) cm long, (1.1)2-4.5(9) cm wide, contracted to somewhat loose, erect to slightly nodding, greenish yellow to purple-tinged;
branches 2.7-7(10.5) cm long, sparsely scabrous, spikelets usually confined to the distal 1/2.
(4)6-6.5(7) mm;
rachilla prolongations 1.5-2(2.5) mm, hairs (1.5)2(3) mm.
4.5-6.5(8) mm;
rachilla prolongations 0.5-1 mm, hairs 1-1.5 mm.
often green with a purple patch at the base, keeled, keels smooth or sparsely scabrous on the distal 1/2, lateral veins usually prominent, apices usually acute, sometimes short-acuminate, not twisted;
callus hairs (1.2)2(2.5) mm, (0.3)0.4-0.5(0.6) times as long as the lemmas, abundant;
lemmas (3.5)4-5(5.5) mm, (0.5)1.5-2(3) mm shorter than the glumes;
awns (5.5)7-8.5(10) mm, attached to the lower 1/10-1/3 of the lemmas, exserted more than 2 mm, easily distinguished from the callus hairs, strongly bent;
anthers (1)2-3(3.5) mm.
keeled, smooth or infrequently scabrous on the keels, lateral veins somewhat prominent, apices acuminate;
callus hairs (1)2-2.5(3) mm, (0.2)0.5-0.7 times as long as the lemmas, sparse;
lemmas (3)4-4.5(5) mm, (0.4)0.8-1.2(1.9) mm shorter than the glumes;
awns 1-3 mm, attached on the lower 1/3-1/2 of the lemmas, not exserted, easily distinguished from the callus hairs, straight or slightly bent;
anthers (1)2.4-2.6(3.3) mm.
= unknown.
= 28.
Calamagrostis tacomensis
Calamagrostis nutkaensis
Calamagrostis tacomensis grows on montane to alpine slopes in dry or wet meadows, seeps, rocky talus slopes, and cliff crevices, at 400-2200 m. It grows only in the mountains of western Washington and in the Steens Mountains of southeastern Oregon. It reaches its highest known elevations in the Steens Mountains.
This species has previously been identified as either Calamagrostis purpurascens (p. 710) (C.L. Hitchcock et al. 1969) or C. sesquiflora (p. 714) (Kawano 1965). It differs from C. purpurascens in having glabrous leaves, generally longer awns and inflorescence branches, and smoother glumes. It differs from C. sesquiflora in having narrower leaves, callus hairs that are longer relative to the lemmas, longer inflorescence branches, and glume apices that are not twisted, as well as in often preferring drier habitats.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Calamagrostis nutkaensis grows in wetlands and openings in coniferous forests, on marine and freshwater beaches and dunes, and, sometimes, on cliffs. It is usually found within a few kilometers of the marine shoreline at or near sea level, but it sometimes occurs as high as 800 m on the Brooks Peninsula of Vancouver Island, British Columbia; at 700 m and 1100 m in the Siskiyou Mountains, Oregon; and at 1100 m on Bald Mountain, California. It grows along the Pacific coast of North America from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska to San Luis Obispo County, California, and also in the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia.
A hybrid between Calamagrostis nutkaensis and Ammophila arenaria (p. 777) was reported in the 1970s from the vicinity of Newport-Waldport in coastal Oregon, where both species grow (Kenton Chambers, pers. comm.). There is no voucher to support this report.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
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OR, 
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Flora NW, 
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