E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Calamagrostis montanensis Scribn. ex Vasey
plains reedgrass
Poaceae (Grass family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Ryan Batten  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #52976)

E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Calamagrostis montanensis
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial, tufted grass from fibrous roots and short rhizomes; stems 15-50 cm tall, rough below the panicles, with 2 nodes per stem.
Leaves:
Leaf blades 2-3 (4) mm wide, seldom reaching the panicle, flattened to in-rolled; ligules 2-3 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a congested panicle 4-8 cm long, its branches to 2 cm long; spikelets 1-flowered; glumes smooth to stiff-hairy, stiff-hairy on the keels, 4-5 mm long; lemmas 3-4 mm long, minutely rough, finely 4-toothed at the tips, awned, the awns stout, attached just below the middle of the lemmas, slightly twisted and bent, reaching the tips of the lemmas, the callus hairs up to 2 mm long; rachillas about 1 mm long, densely bearded with hairs to 2 mm long.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry slopes and open forests in the steppe and montane zones; rare in SE and NE BC; E to MB and S to MN, SD, CO and ID.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Calamagrostis montanensis

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 1311 1768 2390
Slope Gradient (%) 20 44 70
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
90 162 270
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
0 2 3
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
B
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
5
Modal BEC Zone Class
ESSF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: AT(1), ESSF(1), IDF(1), MS(1)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References