Calamagrostis bolanderi

Bolander's reed grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Bolander's reed grass is a California native perennial found in the northern California coastal bioregion in peatlands, marshes, wet meadows, coastal scrub, and forest at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces delicate, pale green to tan flowers in open inflorescences 10 to 25 centimeters long. Growing with rhizomatous stems 50 to 150 centimeters tall and typically four nodes, it forms dense grass clusters in moist habitats. Its grass blades are flat, 3 to 10 millimeters wide, with distinctive ligules 3 to 5 millimeters long. The plant's flower spikelets have uniquely twisted awns 5 to 6 millimeters long that extend slightly beyond the glume tips.

Habitat: Peatland, marshes, wet meadows in forest, coastal scrub and prairie

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: < 500 m

Bioregions: NCo

California counties: Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma, Yolo, Madera, Tulare, Placer, Tuolumne

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.