Vahlodea atropurpurea
arctic-hair grass, deschampsie pourpre, mountain-hairgrass
15-80 cm, erect.
glabrous or pilose;
lower sheaths usually retrorsely hirsute, sometimes glabrous;
uppermost sheaths smooth or scabridulous;
ligules 0.8-3.5 mm, rounded to truncate, often lacerate and ciliate;
blades flat, blades of the lower leaves to 30 cm long, 1-8.5 mm wide, blades of the flag leaves 1-10 cm long, 1-5 mm wide.
3-20 cm;
pedicels smooth or scabrous-pubescent.
4-7 mm.
usually smooth or scabrous on the keels and marginal veins;
lower glumes 4-5(6.5) mm;
upper glumes 4-5.5(7) mm;
lemmas 1.8-3 mm, apices scabrous, ciliate, awns 2-4 mm;
anthers 0.5-1.2 mm.
1-1.5 mm.
= 14.
Vahlodea atropurpurea
Vahlodea atropurpurea grows in moist to wet, open woods, forest edges, streamsides, snowbeds, and meadows, in montane to alpine and subarctic habitats. Plants from northwestern North America tend to have wider, more pubescent leaves and shorter lemma hairs than those elsewhere. They are sometimes treated as a distinct taxon, but the variation is continuous.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
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USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
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