Calamagrostis nutkaensis

(J. Presl) Steud.
Common names: Pacific reedgrass
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 724.

Plants sometimes with sterile culms; densely cespitose, with rhizomes usually shorter than 3 cm, rarely to 6 cm long, 1.5-3 mm thick. Culms (42) 55-105 (150) cm, stout, unbranched, smooth or slightly scabrous beneath the panicles; nodes 1-2 (3). Sheaths 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. Panicles (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. Spikelets 4.5-6.5 (8) mm; rachilla prolongations 0.5-1 mm, hairs 1-1.5 mm. Glumes 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. 2n = 28.

Distribution

Oreg., Alaska, Calif., Wash., B.C.

Discussion

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.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Calamagrostis nutkaensis"
membranous +  and scarious +
hairy +, glabrous +, scabrous +  and smooth +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
0.24 cm2.4 mm <br />0.0024 m <br /> (0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br />) +
acuminate +
Kendrick L. Marr +, Richard J. Hebda +  and Craig W. Greenef +
(J. Presl) Steud. +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
straight +
attached +
not exserted +
distinguished +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (41 cm410 mm <br />0.41 m <br />) +
not evident +
flat +  and involute +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
2.7 cm27 mm <br />0.027 m <br /> (?) +  and 7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (?) +
appressed;more or less drooping +
spikelike +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
(0.2)0.5-0.7 times as long as the lemmas +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
expanded +
Pacific reedgrass +
ascending +  and erect +
55 cm550 mm <br />0.55 m <br /> (105 cm1,050 mm <br />1.05 m <br />) +
not woody +
Oreg. +, Alaska +, Calif. +, Wash. +  and B.C. +
1/4 +  and 1/3 +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
sometimes longer +
sterile +  and bisexual +
compressed +
reduced +
subtending +
subequal +
membranous +
sparse +  and abundant +
uncinate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
lanceolate +  and ovate +
0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br /> (0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br />) +
entire +  and truncate +
lacerate +, entire +, acute +, usually truncate +  and obtuse +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
lanceolate +
concealed +  and prominent +
1 +  and 2 +
2 +  and 1 +
hairy +  and glabrous +
2-keeled +
greenish yellow +  and purple-tinged +
12cm +  and 23cm +
erect +  and slightly nodding +
spikelike +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br />) +
dry +  and fleshy +
compressed +
0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br /> (0.65 cm6.5 mm <br />0.0065 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Gramineae +
Calamagrostis nutkaensis +
Calamagrostis +
species +
membranous +
parallel +  and converging +
obscure +  and prominent +
plant +  and cespitose +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +
1.5mm +  and 3mm +