BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Calamagrostis canadensis | Bluejoint Reedgrass 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Bluejoint reedgrass is a sod-forming, native, perennial, cool-season
grass [5,12,16,36].  Its blades are numerous and generally obtain a
height of 2 to 4 feet (60-120 cm) [12,16].  In Alaska, this grass has
been known to reach heights of up to 6.5 feet (200 cm) within 6 weeks
[16].  This grass is long-lived.  Well-developed fields may persist for
as long as 100 years [16].  Creeping underground rhizomes are extensive
and fiberous roots are shallow [16,32,36,38].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Hemicryptophyte
   Geophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Sexual Reproduction:  Bluejoint reedgrass flowers are wind pollinated.
Prolific flowering, however, occurs only in wetlands and recently
disturbed sites [28].  The winged seeds are very lightweight and easily
wind-borne [16,28].  Seed yields are low, but seed can remain viable in
the soil for up to 5 years [6,16].  Seeds collected near Inuvik,
Northwest Territories, had a germination rate of 90 percent at 68
degrees Fahrenheit (20 deg C).  Seedling vigor was rated as moderate
[3,16].

Vegetative Reproduction:  Bluejoint reedgrass can also reproduce
vegetatively by rhizomes [6,16,28,33,38].  This grass is capable of
producing an extensive network of rhizomes during a single growing
season.  Small sections (two or more internodes) of several rhizomes can
produce shoots and establish new clones [28,33].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Bluejoint reedgrass occurs in a wide range of habitats from lowland wet
sites, semishaded woodlands, to windswept alpine ridges [16,18]. It
extends from sea level in the north and northwest to elevations of over
12,000 feet (3,658 m) near the southern limit of its range in New Mexico
[18,38].  It prefers moist sites but can survive in a wide range of
moisture regimes [16].  This grass, however, cannot germinate under
drought conditions, although it is very drought resistant once
established [16].

Soils:  Bluejoint reedgrass occupies sites with imperfectly to
moderately well-drained soils.  It is found on both peat and mineral
soils, but most often on peat, and is adapted to a wide range of soil
textures.  This grass is tolerant of extremely acidic soils, with pH
values as low as 3.5, and is moderately tolerant of saline soils
[8,16,19].

Plant associates:  Bluejoint reedgrass is commonly associated with the
following species:  Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), fireweed
(Epilobium angustifolium), beaked sedge (Carex rostrata), tufted
hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa), Geyer willow (Salix geyeriana),
booth willow (Salix boothii), wolf's willow (Salix wolfii), subalpine
fir (Abies lasiocarpa), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), and Engelmann
spruce (Picea engelmannii) [13,14,15,30,31,40,41].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Facultative Seral Species

Bluejoint reedgrass is a common constituent in a number of seral and
climax communities.  A combination of sexual and vegetative reproduction
allows this grass to persist throughout the successional continuum [4].
It is an aggressive ground residual colonizer and initial off-site
colonizer in early seral communities.  Once established, a very dense
stand of bluejoint reedgrass may persist almost indefinitely, severely
limiting the invasion of woody species [5].  In some mid-seral to climax
wetland forest communities and forest communities having high water
tables, bluejoint reedgrass occurs as a dominant or codominant
understory species [13,14,15,31,40].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
In general, bluejoint reedgrass leaf and culm production occurs from
early May to mid-June followed by significant vegetative growth of shoot
biomass [5,19].  By mid-June flowering heads begin to emerge and by late
June to early July flowering begins [5,19].  Flowering peaks from late
June to mid-July.  Aboveground senescence begins mid to late August
[5,19].

Related categories for Species: Calamagrostis canadensis | Bluejoint Reedgrass