Poaceae
Calamagrostis

Calamagrostis epigejos (L.) Roth

First published in Tent. Fl. Germ. 1: 34 (1788)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Temp. Eurasia to Tropical & S. African Mountains. It is a perennial or rhizomatous geophyte and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes elongated. Culms erect; 60-200 cm long; 2-3 -noded. Leaf-sheaths without keel; smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 3-12 mm long; lacerate; truncate. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 10-70 cm long; 3-14 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; scaberulous. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle antrorsely scabrous above. Panicle contracted; lanceolate to oblong; 15-30 cm long; 3-6 cm wide. Primary panicle branches 5-8 cm long. Panicle branches terete; scabrous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; terete; 0.3-1 mm long; scabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 4.5-7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus bearded. Floret callus hairs 1.5-2 length of lemma.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 4.5-7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus bearded. Floret callus hairs 1.5-2 length of lemma.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1-3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3-4 mm long; membranous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn dorsal; arising 0.5 way up back of lemma; straight; 3-4 mm long overall; not or scarcely exserted from spikelet. Palea elliptic; 0.5-0.7 length of lemma; hyaline; 2 -veined.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; lanceolate; membranous. Anthers 3; 2 mm long. Stigmas 2.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; 1 mm long. Embryo 0.25 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform. Endosperm farinose. Disseminule comprising a floret.
Distribution
Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet far east, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, China, Mongolia, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. North America: eastern Canada, north-central USA, and northeast USA.
Reference
Aveneae. CEH.
[GB]

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]

Common Names

English
Bush Grass

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • 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

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • 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 2025. 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 Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. 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