Calamagrostis

Taxobox
name = "Calamagrostis"

---

image_width = 250px
image_caption = Canadian Small-reed
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Liliopsida
ordo = Poales
familia = Poaceae
genus = "Calamagrostis"
genus_authority = Adans.
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = See text.

"Calamagrostis", or Small-reed or ("Am".) Reedgrass, is a genus in the Grass family Poaceae with about 230 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. They are commonly adventive. These tufted perennials usually have hairless narrow leaves. The ligules are usually blunt. The inflorescence forms a panicle. Some may be reed-like.

The roots may be rhizomatous (underground stems with shoots), stoloniferous (with runners), or caespitose (growing in tufts or clumps).

The bisexual spikelets have a single flower and are purple or purple-brown. They appear in early summer on long culms ( = stems). They can be very decorative.

The word "Calamagrostis" is derived from the Greek word "kalamos" (reed) and "agrostis" (a kind of grass).

Many species of "Calamagrostis" are morphologically similar, but they generally occur in distinct habitats, and they have unique geographical distributions. Given the subtle distinctions between many closely related taxa, there are several species complexes that could benefit from additional systematic study. Even the generic boundaries of the genus are controversial. For example, species in the genus "Deyeuxia", distributed largely in the southern hemisphere are morphologically very similar to species of "Calamagrostis". It is probably appropriate to recognize all of these species in a single genus, but this will require detailed scientific study of DNA of species from around the world.

Species

*"Calamagrostis × acutiflora" - Feather Reedgrass (hybrid "Calamagrostis arundinacea" × "Calamagrostis epigeios")
*"Calamagrostis arundinacea" - Rough Small-reed
*"Calamagrostis bolanderi" - Bolander's Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis brachytriga" - Fall Blooping Reed
*"Calamagrostis breweri" - Shorthair Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis cainii" - Cain's Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis canadensis" - Canadian Small-reed, Bluejoint, Bluejoint Reedgrass, Bluetop, Meadow Pinegrass, Canadian Reedgrass, Marsh Pinegrass, Marsh Reedgrass.
*"Calamagrostis canescens" - Purple Small-reed
*"Calamagrostis chalybaea"
*"Calamagrostis coarctata" - Arctic Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis deschampsioides" - Circumpolar Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis epigeios" - Wood Small-reed, Bushgrass, Redd Bent
**"Calamagrostis epigeios" ssp. "macrolepis" - Chee Reedgrass
**"Calamagrostis epigeios" ssp. "meinshausenii" - Meinshausen's Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis expansa" - Maui Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis foliosa" - Leafy Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis hillebrandii" - Hillebrand's Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis holmii" - Holm's Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis howellii" - Howell's Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis hyperborea" - Northern Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis inexpansa"
*"Calamagrostis koelerioides" - Fire Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis × kolymensis" - Kolymen Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis lapponica" - Lapland Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis leonardii"
*"Calamagrostis montanensis" - Plains Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis nutkaensis" - Pacific Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis ophitidis" - Serpentine Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis perplexa" - Wood Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis pickeringii" - Pickering's Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis porteri" - Porter's Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis pseudophragmites"
*"Calamagrostis purpurascens" - Purple Reedgrass
**"Calamagrostis purpurascens" var. "laricina" - Purple Reedgrass
**"Calamagrostis purpurascens" var. "purpurascens" - Purple Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis rubescens" - Pinegrass, Pine Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis scopulorum" - Ditch Reedgrass, Jones Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis scotica" - Scottish Small-reed, a rare species under protection by the UK Biodiversity Action Plan
*"Calamagrostis scribneri"
*"Calamagrostis sesquiflora" - One-and-a-half Flower Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis stricta" - Narrow Small-reed, Narrowspike Reedgrass, Slim-stem Reed Grass, Slimstem Reedgrass
**"Calamagrostis stricta" var. "borealis" - Boreal Reedgrass
**"Calamagrostis stricta" var. "stricta" - Slimstem Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis tweedyi" - Tweedy's Reedgrass
*"Calamagrostis varia"
*"Calamagrostis villosa"

References

* [http://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/grass/www/calamagr.htm Grass Genera of the World]
* [http://utc.usu.edu/keys/Agrostis/Agrostis.html Interactive Key to Calamagrostis of North America]