Vahlodea atropurpurea (Wahlenb.) Fr. ex Hartm.
mountain hairgrass
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
mountain hairgrass
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial, loosely tufted grass from fibrous roots; stems erect, 15-80 cm tall.
Leaves:
Smooth to soft hairy, the lower sheaths usually stiff-hairy, the hairs angled backwards; blades flat (rarely in-rolled), 1-8.5 mm wide and up to 30 cm long with prowlike tips; ligules rounded to blunt, the margins often jagged, 0.8-3.5 mm long, the tips fringed with fine hairs.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an open panicle, to 20 cm long; spikelets 4-7 mm long with 2 florets; glumes smooth or rough-hairy on the keel and marginal nerves, as long as or longer than the spikelets, the lower glumes 4-5 (6.5) mm long, the upper glumes 4-5.5 (7) mm long; lemmas 1.8-3 mm long, awned, the awns attached on the lower back, 2-4 mm long, the calluses with hairs about 1/2 the lemma length; anthers 0.5-1.2 mm long.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Vahlodea atropurpurea
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) |
1800 | 30 | 2640 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
23 | 0 | 250 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
208 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 0 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
1985 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ESSF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(63), BAFA(68), CMA(33), CWH(10), ESSF(1493), ICH(14), IDF(1), IMA(60), MH(92), MS(7), SBPS(2), SBS(10), SWB(14) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist to wet open woods, forest edges, meadows, streambanks and shorelines in the montane to alpine zones; common throughout BC; circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to N CO, ID and CA; Greenland, Eurasia, S South America.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Aira atropurpurea Wahlenb.
Deschampsia atropurpurea (Wahlenb.) Scheele
Deschampsia atropurpurea var. latifolia (Hook.) Scribn. ex Macoun
Deschampsia atropurpurea var. paramushirensis Kudo
Deschampsia atropurpurea var. payettii Lepage
Deschampsia pacifica Tatew. & Ohwi
Vahlodea atropurpurea subsp. latifolia (Hook.) A.E. Porsild
Vahlodea atropurpurea subsp. paramushirensis (Kudo) Hultén
Vahlodea flexuosa (Honda) Ohwi
Vahlodea latifolia (Hook.) Hultén