''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the grass

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Poaceae Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivate ...

, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' generally occur at higher elevations. These tufted

perennials In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

usually have hairless narrow

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

. The

ligule A ligule (from "strap", variant of ''lingula'', from ''lingua'' "tongue") is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above g ...

s are usually blunt. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

forms a

panicle In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...

. Some may be reed-like. The plants may be

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

(underground stems with shoots), stoloniferous (with runners), or caespitose (growing in tufts or clumps). The bisexual

spikelet A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the inflorescences of grasses, sedges and some other monocots. Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the sp ...

s have a single floret and generally they are purple or purple-brown. The spikelets are clustered into inflorescences, which usually develop in early- to mid-summer on long culms ( = stems). 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'' (named after French chemist

Nicolas Deyeux Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...

), distributed largely in the southern hemisphere are morphologically very similar to species of ''Calamagrostis''. It may be 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. Some ''Calamagrostis'' can be very decorative, and are widely cultivated largely in northern

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

zones. The species ''Calamagrostis brachytricha'' and the cultivar ''Calamagrostis'' × ''acutiflora'' 'Karl Foerster' are recipients of the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

. The word "Calamagrostis" is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

word ''kalamos'' (reed) and ''agrostis'' (a kind of grass).

Species

''Calamagrostis'' contains the following recognised species: *''

Calamagrostis abnormis ''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' general ...

'' (Hook.f.) U.Shukla *''

Calamagrostis acuminata ''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' general ...

'' (Vickery) Govaerts * ''Calamagrostis'' × ''acutiflora'' (Schrad.) DC. *''

Calamagrostis affinis ''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' general ...

'' (M.Gray) Govaerts *''

Calamagrostis ajanensis ''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' general ...

'' Kharkev. & Prob. *''

Calamagrostis alajica ''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' general ...

'' Litv. *'' Calamagrostis alba'' (J.Presl) Steud. *'' Calamagrostis albiflora'' Vaniot *'' Calamagrostis altaica'' Tzvelev *'' Calamagrostis amoena'' (Pilg.) Pilg. *''

Calamagrostis ampliflora ''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' general ...

'' Tovar * ''Calamagrostis'' × ''andrejewii'' Litv. *'' Calamagrostis angustifolia'' Kom. *'' Calamagrostis anthoxanthoides'' (Munro) Regel *'' Calamagrostis appressa'' (Vickery) Govaerts *'' Calamagrostis archboldii'' Hitchc. *''

Calamagrostis arundinacea ''Calamagrostis arundinacea'' is a species of bunch grass in the family Poaceae, native to Eurasia, China and India. Under its synonym ''Calamagrostis brachytricha'' it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Descript ...

Calamagrostis canadensis ''Calamagrostis canadensis'' is a species of grass, having three or more varieties, in the family Poaceae. It is known variously by the common names of bluejoint, bluejoint reedgrass, marsh reedgrass, Canadian reedgrass, meadow pinegrass, Canada ...

'' (Michx.) P.Beauv. *''

Calamagrostis canescens ''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' general ...

Calamagrostis emodensis ''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' general ...

'' Griseb. *''

Calamagrostis epigejos ''Calamagrostis epigejos'', common names wood small-reed or bushgrass, is a species of grass in the family Poaceae which is native to Eurasia and Africa. It is found from average moisture locales to salt marsh and wet habitats.

Calamagrostis llanganatensis ''Calamagrostis llanganatensis'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is found only in Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on ...

Calamagrostis planifolia ''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family (biology), family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calam ...

'' (Kunth) Trin. ''ex'' Steud. *'' Calamagrostis poluninii'' T.J.Sørensen *'' Calamagrostis polycephala'' Vaniot *'' Calamagrostis polygama'' (Griseb.) Parodi * ''Calamagrostis'' × ''ponojensis'' Montell *'' Calamagrostis porteri'' A.Gray * ''Calamagrostis'' × ''prahliana'' Torges *'' Calamagrostis preslii'' (Kunth) Hitchc. *'' Calamagrostis pringlei'' Beal *'' Calamagrostis przevalskyi'' Tzvelev * ''Calamagrostis'' × ''pseudodeschampsioides'' Tzvelev *''

Calamagrostis pseudophragmites ''Calamagrostis pseudophragmites'' is a species of grass in the genus ''Calamagrostis'' and the family Poaceae Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly k ...

'' (Haller f.) Koeler *'' Calamagrostis pungens'' Tovar *'' Calamagrostis purpurascens'' R.Br. *'' Calamagrostis purpurea'' (Trin.) Trin. *'' Calamagrostis pusilla'' Reeder *'' Calamagrostis quadriseta'' (Labill.) Spreng. *'' Calamagrostis radicans'' Vaniot *'' Calamagrostis ramonae'' Escalona *'' Calamagrostis rauhii'' Tovar *'' Calamagrostis recta'' (Kunth) Trin. ''ex'' Steud. *'' Calamagrostis reflexa'' (Vickery) Govaerts *'' Calamagrostis reitzii'' Swallen * ''Calamagrostis'' × ''rigens'' Lindgr. *'' Calamagrostis rigescens'' (J.Presl) Scribn. *'' Calamagrostis rigida'' (Kunth) Trin. ''ex'' Steud. *'' Calamagrostis rodwayi'' (Vickery) Govaerts *'' Calamagrostis rosea'' (Griseb.) Hack. *''

Calamagrostis rubescens ''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' general ...

'' Buckley *'' Calamagrostis rupestris'' Trin. *'' Calamagrostis sachalinensis'' F.Schmidt *'' Calamagrostis sajanensis'' Malyschev *'' Calamagrostis salina'' Tzvelev *'' Calamagrostis scaberula'' Swallen *'' Calamagrostis scabrescens'' Griseb. *'' Calamagrostis scabriflora'' Swallen *'' Calamagrostis sclerantha'' Hack. *'' Calamagrostis sclerophylla'' (Stapf) Hitchc. *''

Calamagrostis scopulorum ''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' general ...

'' M.E.Jones *'' Calamagrostis scotica'' (Druce) Druce *'' Calamagrostis sesquiflora'' (Trin.) Tzvelev *'' Calamagrostis setiflora'' (Wedd.) Pilg. *''

Calamagrostis sichuanensis ''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' general ...

Calamagrostis velutina ''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' general ...

'' (Nees & Meyen) Steud. *'' Calamagrostis veresczaginii'' Zolot. *'' Calamagrostis vicunarum'' (Wedd.) Pilg. *'' Calamagrostis villosa'' (Chaix) J.F.Gmel. * ''Calamagrostis'' × ''vilnensis'' Besser *'' Calamagrostis violacea'' (Wedd.) Hack. *'' Calamagrostis viridiflavescens'' (Poir.) Steud. *'' Calamagrostis viridis'' (Phil.) Soreng *'' Calamagrostis vulcanica'' Swallen *''

Calamagrostis yanyuanensis ''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' general ...

'' J.L.Yang * ''Calamagrostis'' × ''yatabei'' Maxim. *'' Calamagrostis youngii'' (Hook.f.) Buchanan *'' Calamagrostis zenkeri'' (Trin.) Davidse * ''Calamagrostis'' × ''zerninensis'' Lüderw.

Formerly placed here

*''

Laegaardia ecuadoriense ''Laegaardia'' is a genus of grasses. It contains a single species, ''Laegaardia ecuadoriense'' (synonym ''Calamagrostis ecuadoriensis''), a perennial endemic to Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwe ...

'' (as ''Calamagrostis ecuadoriensis'' Laegaard) *''

Paramochloa crispifolia ''Paramochloa'' is a genus of grasses. It includes two species of montane perennials native to the northern Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. *'' Paramochloa crispifolia'' – Colombia and Venezuela *''Paramochloa effusa ''Paramochlo ...

'' (as ''Calamagrostis crispifolius'' ) *''

Paramochloa effusa ''Paramochloa effusa'' is a species of grass, known locally as ''paja blanca, carrizo'', and ''espartillo''. It is a perennial native the mountains of Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador, including the northern Andes and the Sierra Nevada de Santa M ...

'' (as ''Calamagrostis effusa'' (Kunth) Steud., ''C. areantha'' , or ''C. funckii'' )

References

External links

Grass Genera of the World
{{Authority control Poaceae genera