Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Section: Common Name: Scientific Name: Family:
Account for Narrowspike Reedgrass - Calamagrostis inexpansa   Gray
Members of Poaceae:
Members of Calamagrostis with account distribution info or public map:
Google Images
Section 5 » Family Poaceae
AuthorGray
DistributionThere are 2 specimens from NC, both originally identified as C. canadensis, and annotated in 2020. Ashe County, Bluff Mountain, high bog, 26 July 1965, G.E. Tucker 2879 (NCU). Haywood County, Art Loeb Trail, south of Black Balsam parking area, woodland seep.bog, elev. 5900 ft., 23 May 1993, Dan Pittillo 12092 (NCU).

C. inexpansa occurs from Lab. to AK, south to NY, WV, OH, IA, AZ, CA; disjunct to high Appalachians of NC.
AbundanceVery rare. However, it should be sought in other high elevation wetlands.
HabitatHigh elevation seepages and fens.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting May-August.
IdentificationNarrowspike Reedgrass is a more robust plant than C. canadensis (although not taller), the leaves broader and the inflorescence thicker and denser. Spikelets measure 4-5 mm (vs. 3-4 in the former), and the lemma awn is much thicker than the callus hairs (vs. about same width and thus hard to pick out).
Taxonomic CommentsSome authors treat it as a variety or subspecies under C. stricta; we follow Weakley (2020) and others who treat it as a full species.

Other Common Name(s)Northern Reedgrass
State Rank[S1]
Global RankG5
State Status[SR-D]
US Status
USACE-agcp
USACE-emp
County Map - click on a county to view source of record.
Select a source
AllHerbaria
Select an occurrence type
AllCollection_natural