Poaceae
Calamagrostis

Calamagrostis arenaria (L.) Roth

First published in Tent. Fl. Germ. 1: 34 (1788)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Canary Islands, Europe to Medit. It is a perennial or rhizomatous geophyte and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes elongated. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 50-120 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 10-30 mm long. Leaf-blades convolute; 20-60 cm long; 2-6 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; pubescent; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex pungent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle spiciform; linear, or oblong; tapering above; 7-22 cm long; 1-2.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1-4 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 10-16 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus bearded. Floret callus hairs 0.25-0.33 length of lemma (3-5mm).
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 10-16 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus bearded. Floret callus hairs 0.25-0.33 length of lemma (3-5mm).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 10-15 mm long; 0.9-1 length of upper glume; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface asperulous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 10-16 mm long; 1.2-1.3 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface asperulous. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate; 8-12 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; 5-7 -veined. Lemma surface asperulous. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; mucronate. Principal lemma awn subapical. Palea 0.9 length of lemma; 2-4 -veined. Palea keels approximate; scaberulous; adorned above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 4-7 mm long. Ovary glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; obovoid. Hilum linear; 0.8 length of caryopsis.
Distribution
Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north and south. Asia-temperate: western Asia and Arabia. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. Pacific: southwestern and north-central. North America: western Canada, northwest USA, and southwest USA. South America: southern South America. Antarctic: Subantarctic islands.
Reference
Aveneae. CEH.
[GB]

Common Names

unknown
marram grass

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • EBC Common Names

    • Common Names from Kew's Economic Botany Collection https://www.kew.org/science/collections-and-resources/collections/economic-botany-collection

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images