Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv.
tufted hairgrass
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
tufted hairgrass
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
Species Information
General:
Perennial, strongly tufted grass from fibrous roots, stems numerous, 20-120 cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths open, smooth to rough; blades matted at the base, rather stiff, sometimes flat but most folded or in-rolled, smooth to rough below, rough above, with a few, prominent, raised nerves, 1.5-3 (4) mm wide; ligules entire but often split, hairy, sharp-pointed or rounded, 4-8 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a loose and open to narrow panicle, 8-30 cm long, the branches spreading or drooping to erect (even at maturity); spikelets usually glistening, purplish to tawny, 2-flowered, rarely 3-flowered, glumes rather narrow, the lower ones 1-nerved, 2.5-5 (6) mm long, the upper ones 3-nerved, often somewhat jagged, 3-6 (7) mm long; lemmas 5-nerved, 2.5-4 mm long, the tips jagged and 4-toothed, awned from the base, the awns 3-5 mm long, straight or bent, the callus hairs about 1 mm long; lodicules egg-shaped to lanceolate, 0.7-1 mm long, anthers 1.2-2.2 mm long.
Notes:
This is a widespread, difficult complex and until an adequate monographic study is undertaken we are recognizing only two subspecies for BC:
1. Glumes mostly 5-7 mm long; lemmas averaging 4 mm long; panicles open during flowering .... ssp. beringensis (Hult.) Lawrence
1. Glumes mostly less than 5 mm long; lemmas averaging 3.5 mm, if longer then the panicles closed at flowering .... ssp. cespitosa
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Deschampsia cespitosa
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)
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 |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
745 | 0 | 2550 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
17 | 0 | 120 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
212 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
5 | 0 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
500 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
CWH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(4), BAFA(8), BWBS(7), CDF(20), CMA(7), CWH(225), ESSF(53), ICH(17), IDF(5), IMA(1), MH(22), MS(42), SBPS(49), SBS(22), SWB(3) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Saline meadows, beaches and tidal marshes in the lowland zone and moist meadows in the montane to alpine zones (ssp. beringensis) and moist to mesic meadows, lakes shores, rocky ridges, shrub-carrs and talus slopes in the montane to alpine zones (ssp. cespitosa); ssp. beringensis - common along the coast, ssp. cespitosa - common in and E of the Coast-Cascade Mountains in BC; ssp. beringensis - amphiberingian, N to AK and S to N WA; ssp. cespitosa - circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to ME, MA, PA, NC, KY, IL, MN, SD, NM, AZ, and CA; Greenland, EurasiaSynonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Aira caespitosa L.
Deschampsia bottnica (Wahlenb.) Trin.
Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P. Beauv., orth. var.
Deschampsia caespitosa subsp. orientalis HultΘn, orth. var.
Deschampsia caespitosa subsp. parviflora (Thuill.) K. Richt., orth. var.
Deschampsia caespitosa var. alpicola (Rydb.) A. L÷ve & D. L÷ve & Kapoor, orth. var.
Deschampsia caespitosa var. arctica Vasey, orth. var.
Deschampsia caespitosa var. intercotidalis B. Boivin, orth. var.
Deschampsia caespitosa var. longiflora Beal, orth. var.
Deschampsia caespitosa var. maritima Vasey, orth. var.
Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. bottnica (Wahlenb.) Tzvelev
Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. genuina (Rchb.) O.H. Volk
Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. obensis (Rosh.) Tzvelev
Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. paramushirensis (Honda) Tzvelev
Deschampsia cespitosa var. abbei B. Boivin
Deschampsia cespitosa var. arctica Vasey
Deschampsia cespitosa var. glauca (C. Hartm.) C. Hartm., non Regel
Deschampsia cespitosa var. littoralis (Gaudin) K. Richt.
Deschampsia cespitosa var. maritima Vasey
Deschampsia cespitosa var. parviflora (Thuill.) Coss. & Germ.
Deschampsia mackenzieana Raup
Deschampsia pumila (Ledeb.) Ostenf.