Calamovilfa longifolia
Rhizomes elongate, covered with shiny, coriaceous, scalelike leaves. Culms to 2.4 m. Sheaths glabrous to densely pubescent; ligules 0.7-2.5 mm; blades to 64 cm long, about 12 mm wide. Panicles 15-78 cm long, 1.7-26.4 cm wide; branches to 33 cm, erect to strongly divergent, lowermost branches sometimes reflexed. Spikelets 5-8.5 mm. Glumes straight; lower glumes 3.5-6.5 mm; upper glumes 5-8.2 mm; lemmas 4.5-7.1 mm, straight, glabrous; paleas 4.4-6.9 mm, glabrous. 2n = 40, ca. 60.
Distribution
Ill., Ind., Colo., N.Mex., Wash., Mont., Alta., B.C., Man., Ont., Sask., Minn., Mich., Iowa, Idaho, Kans., Mo., N.Dak., Nebr., Pa., S.Dak., Wyo., Wis., N.Y., Ohio
Discussion
Calamovilfa longifolia usually grows in sand or sandy soils, but is occasionally found in clay soils or loess. Two geographically contiguous varieties exist. They differ as shown in the following key; the differences between the two are more striking in the field.
Selected References
None.
Key
| 1 | Most spikelets overlapping no more than 1 other spikelet, usually with a brownish cast | Calamovilfa longifolia var. magna |
| 1 | Most spikelets overlapping 2-3 other spikelets, usually without a brownish cast | Calamovilfa longifolia var. longifolia |