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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
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Introductory
SPECIES: Calamagrostis montanensis | Plains Reedgrass
ABBREVIATION :
CALMON
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
CAMO
COMMON NAMES :
plains reedgrass
prairie reedgrass
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name for plains reedgrass is
Calamagrostis montanensis (Scribn.) Scribn. There are no recognized
subspecies, varieties, or forms [14,16,17,18,24].
LIFE FORM :
Graminoid
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
COMPILED BY AND DATE :
Julie L. Tesky, April 1992.
LAST REVISED BY AND DATE :
NO-ENTRY
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Tesky, Julie L. 1992. Calamagrostis montanensis. In: Remainder of Citation
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Calamagrostis montanensis | Plains Reedgrass
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Plains reedgrass occurs from Manitoba to Alberta, south to Minnesota,
North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado
[13,14,16,17,18].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES35 Pinyon - juniper
FRES36 Mountain grasslands
FRES38 Plains grasslands
FRES39 Prairie
STATES :
CO ID MN MT ND SD WY AB BC MB
SK
ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS :
DETO ROMO THRO
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
10 Wyoming Basin
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K011 Western ponderosa forest
K016 Eastern ponderosa forest
K017 Black Hills pine forest
K018 Pine - Douglas-fir forest
K023 Juniper - pinyon woodland
K038 Great Basin sagebrush
K055 Sagebrush steppe
K056 Wheatgrass - needlegrass shrubsteppe
K063 Foothills prairie
K064 Grama - needlegrass - wheatgrass
K065 Grama - buffalograss
K066 Wheatgrass - needlegrass
K067 Wheatgrass - bluestem - needlegrass
K070 Sandsage - bluestem prairie
K074 Bluestem prairie
SAF COVER TYPES :
237 Interior ponderosa pine
239 Pinyon - Juniper
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Plains reedgrass occurs as an associate in grazed communities dominated
by blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) [4]. However, it has not been listed
in published classification schemes.
VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Calamagrostis montanensis | Plains Reedgrass
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Plains reedgrass provides forage for sheep, cattle, and horses [24]. It
is also consumed by deer, elk, and small mammals [9,25].
PALATABILITY :
Plains reedgrass coarse leaves are considered less palatable than most
prairie species it occurs with [2]. The relish and degree of use shown
by livestock and wildlife species for plains reedgrass in several
western states is rated as follows [9,25]:
CO MT ND WY
Cattle Fair Fair ---- Fair
Sheep Fair Fair Fair Fair
Horses Fair Fair Fair Fair
Elk ---- Fair-Good ---- ----
Deer ---- Poor-Fair ---- ----
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
Plains reedgrass has been rated as fair in energy value and poor in
protein value [9].
COVER VALUE :
The degree to which plains reedgrass provides environmental protection
during one or more seasons for wildlife species is rated as follows [9]:
MT ND WY
Pronghorn ---- Poor Poor
Elk ---- ---- Poor
Mule deer ---- Good Poor
White-tailed deer ---- Good Poor
Small mammals ---- ---- Fair
Small nongame birds Fair ---- ----
Upland game birds Fair ---- ----
Waterfowl Poor ---- ----
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Because plains reedgrass is rhizomatous and exhibits aggressive growth
after disturbance, it can be used for erosion control. It also has
potential for long-term revegetation of disturbed sites [9].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
NO-ENTRY
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Grazing: Plains reedgrass increases in response to grazing [4,7]. When
comparing grazed and ungrazed sites of a mixed-grass community, Brand
and Goetz [4] found that the average herbage production of plains
reedgrass on grazed rangeland was 41 times greater than on ungrazed
lands.
Herbicides: Plains reedgrass increased in range areas after spraying
with 2,4-D [6].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Calamagrostis montanensis | Plains Reedgrass
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Plains reedgrass is a native, cool-season, perennial grass [8,12,22,24].
The culms grow from 6 to 16 inches (15-40 cm) tall [16,17,22,24]. The
mostly basal leaves have smooth sheaths and strongly rolled blades [22].
The rhizomes are slender with short paperish leaves at each node. Roots
arise from the nodes and are similar to the rhizomes in thickness.
Maximum root-depth ranges from 3.28 to 4.92 feet (1-1.5 m) [8].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Chamaephyte
Cryptophyte (Geophyte)
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Plains reedgrass regenerates sexually, and vegetatively through rhizomes
[23]. Specific information on seed dispersal and viability is lacking.
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Plains reedgrass occurs on plains and dry open areas of grasslands,
sagebrush benchlands, and foothills from 4,800 to 8,500 feet
(1,463-2,591 m) in elevation [9,16,17,18,21]. It grows in sandy loams,
loams, clay loams, and clayey soils [9,19].
Climate: In areas where plains reedgrass commonly occurs, moisture is
usually available early in the growing season but later becomes limited.
Summers are marked by high temperatures and low humidity creating a dry
climate. In winter, snowfall is considerable and temperatures may drop
to -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-29 deg C) [27].
Plant associates: Plains reedgrass is commonly associated with the
following species: needle-and-thread (Stipa comata), green needlegrass
(S. viridula), blue grama, prairie junegrass (Koeleria cristata),
bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), rough fescue (Festuca
scrubrella), Idaho fescue (F. idahoensis), and threetip sagebrush
(Artemisia tripartita) [3,4,7,25,27].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Facultative Seral Species
Plains reedgrass is an early seral to climax species. It increases
following disturbance and commonly persists for several years. On some
grazed ranges, plains reedgrass maintains subdominance with other
shortgrass species [4]. This grass also occurs in mixed prairie climax
communities dominated by Agropyron and Stipa spp. [7]. Plains reedgrass
abundance on sandy soils is generally an indicator of late seral stages [7].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Plains reedgrass growth begins in early April followed by the initiation
of fruiting stalks in late May [12]. Flowering generally begins in late
June to July and ends in August [9,12]. Seeds mature in late July and
are shed in mid-August [12].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Calamagrostis montanensis | Plains Reedgrass
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Plains reedgrass appears to be well adapted to periodic burning.
Postburn establishment quickly occurs through sprouting of on-site
surviving rhizomes and, presumably, through colonization from off-site
seed sources [2,5].
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil
Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Calamagrostis montanensis | Plains Reedgrass
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Although fire will kill aboveground parts of plains reedgrass,
underground rhizomes survive even high-severity fires [2].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Even after high-severity fire, plains reedgrass will sprout vigorously
from on-site surviving rhizomes. This grass provides more forage on
burned sites than on unburned sites [2].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
Three years following an August sagebrush-grass fire on the upper Snake
River plains, Idaho, plains reedgrass exceeded its original density on
burned sites. At postfire year 9 this grass was still producing
significantly more herbage on burned sites than on unburned sites [2].
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Prescribed burning is a valuable management tool for range improvement
[2,5,15]. Herbage production of perennial grasses and forbs often
increase within a year after burning [2]. Burning favors rhizomatous
grasses such as plains reedgrass if plants are burned when dormant
[2,5]. Range managers have suggested that grazing be deferred in burned
areas for at least 1 year to allow for the uninterrupted growth of
herbaceous vegetation [5].
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Calamagrostis montanensis | Plains Reedgrass
REFERENCES :
1. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
[434]
2. Blaisdell, James P. 1953. Ecological effects of planned burning of
sagebrush-grass range on the upper Snake River Plains. Tech. Bull. 1975.
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture. 39 p. [462]
3. Blaisdell, James P. 1958. Seasonal development and yield of native
plants on the upper Snake River Plains and their relation to certain
climatic factors. Tech. Bull. 1190. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture. 68 p. [463]
4. Brand, M. D.; Goetz, H. 1978. Secondary succession of a mixed grass
community in southwestern North Dakota. Annual Proceedings of the North
Dakota Academy of Science. 32(2): 67-78. [7512]
5. Britton, Carlton M.; Ralphs, Michael H. 1979. Use of fire as a
management tool in sagebrush ecosystems. In: The sagebrush ecosystem: a
symposium: Proceedings; 1978 April; Logan, UT. Logan, UT: Utah State
University, College of Natural Resources. 101-109. [518]
6. Carr, Harold D. 1967. Effects of sagebrush spraying on abundance,
distribution and movements of sage grouse. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado
State University. 106 p. Thesis. [5877]
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in the northern Great Plains of North America. Journal of Ecology. 49:
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8. Coupland, Robert T.; Johnson, R. E. 1965. Rooting characteristics of
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9. Dittberner, Phillip L.; Olson, Michael R. 1983. The plant information
network (PIN) data base: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and
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Fish and Wildlife Service. 786 p. [806]
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Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
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1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
12. Goetz, Harold. 1963. Growth and development of native range plants in
the mixed grass prairie of western North Dakota. Fargo, ND: North Dakota
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burning guidelines in the Northern Great Plains. Ext. Circ. EC-760.
Brookings, SD: South Dakota State University, Cooperative Extension
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[14185]
16. Hitchcock, A. S. 1951. Manual of the grasses of the United States. Misc.
Publ. No. 200. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture,
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Northwest. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. 730 p. [1168]
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plants of the Pacific Northwest. Part 1: Vascular cryptograms,
gymnosperms, and monocotyledons. Seattle, WA: University of Washington
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relationships of an area in southwestern Saskatchewan. Scientific
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of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
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U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research
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23. Lyon, L. Jack; Stickney, Peter F. 1976. Early vegetal succession
following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall
Timbers fire ecology conference and Intermountain Fire Research Council
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Index
Related categories for Species: Calamagrostis montanensis
| Plains Reedgrass
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