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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
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Introductory
SPECIES: Calamagrostis purpurascens | Purple Pinegrass
ABBREVIATION :
CALPUR
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
CAPU
COMMON NAMES :
purple pinegrass
purple reedgrass
alpine reedgrass
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name for purple pinegrass is
Calamagrostis purpurascens R. Br. [12,17,18,19,20]. Recognized
subspecies and varieties include [12,19,20]:
C. purpurascens ssp. purpurascens (or var. purpurascens)
C. purpurascens ssp. artica (Vasey) Hult.
C. purpurascens var. maltei Polunin
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 purpurascens. In: Remainder of Citation
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Calamagrostis purpurascens | Purple Pinegrass
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Purple pinegrass occurs from Greenland to Alaska, and south to
California in the Olympic and Cascade Mountains. It also occurs east to
Quebec and south to Colorado through the Rocky Mountains
[12,14,17,18,23].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES22 Western white pine
FRES23 Fir - spruce
FRES26 Lodgepole pine
FRES36 Mountain grasslands
FRES37 Mountain meadows
FRES44 Alpine
STATES :
AK CA CO ID MN MT NV OR SD UT
WA WY AB BC MB NF NT ON PQ SK
YT
ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS :
BICA DENA FLFO GLAC GRTE MORA
NOCA OLYM ROMO WRST YELL YUCH
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
2 Cascade Mountains
4 Sierra Mountains
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
15 Black Hills Uplift
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K008 Lodgepole pine - subalpine forest
K015 Western spruce - fir forest
K017 Black Hills pine forest
K018 Pine - Douglas-fir forest
K019 Arizona pine forest
K020 Spruce - fir Douglas-fir forest
K021 Southwestern spruce - fir forest
K052 Alpine meadows and barren
SAF COVER TYPES :
206 Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir
208 Whitebark pine
209 Bristlecone pine
218 Lodgepole pine
219 Limber pine
256 California mixed subalpine
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Purple pinegrass generally occurs as a dominant or codominant understory
species on exposed, high-elevation rocky ridgetops and upper slopes
[10,16,21,29]. Publications listing this grass as a dominant or
codominant in habitat types (hts), community types (cts), or vegetation
types (vts) are listed below:
Area Classification Author
CO: Arapaho & forest hts Hess & Alexander 1986
Roosevelt NF
CO: Gunninson & forest hts Komarkova 1986
Umcompahgre NF
Yukon vts Stanek 1980
WA & BC:North Cascades cts Douglas & Bliss 1977
VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Calamagrostis purpurascens | Purple Pinegrass
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Early in the season this grass is grazed readily by all classes of
livestock, but after midsummer it is grazed only lightly or moderately
by cattle and horses. It is also consumed by bighorn sheep [30].
PALATABILITY :
The relish and degree of use shown by livestock for purple pinegrass in
Utah is rated as good for cattle, fair for sheep, and good for horses
[9].
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
Purple pinegrass has been rated as fair in energy value and poor in
protein value [9].
COVER VALUE :
The degree to which purple pinegrass provides environmental protection
during one or more seasons for wildlife species is as follows [9]:
CO UT WY
Pronghorn ---- Poor Poor
Elk ---- Poor Poor
Mule deer ---- Poor Poor
White-tailed deer Poor ---- ----
Small mammals ---- Good Fair
Small nongame birds ---- Good Fair
Upland game birds ---- Fair Fair
Waterfowl ---- ---- Poor
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Reclamation of disturbed subalpine and alpine ecosystems is almost
totally dependent upon the use of adapted native species such as purple
pinegrass [4]. Fibrous roots as well as the ability to colonize hostile
sites makes this species a good soil builder and an effective tool in
erosion control [14]. This grass recovers well after oil spills and is
a useful species for reclamation of these sites [14]. Purple pinegrass
has been found on spoil heaps of abandoned subalpine coil-mined land
[27]. It has some potential for use in reclamation in the Rocky
Mountains of Alberta, but further research on genetic variability, seed
handling, and early management is needed [14]. Seeds of this grass
should be planted on disturbed sites in autumn in order to maximize the
opportunity for natural stratification. Seeds should be stored at low
temperatures [0 deg F (-18 deg C)] to maximize their longevity [4].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
NO-ENTRY
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Calamagrostis purpurascens | Purple Pinegrass
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Purple pinegrass is an erect, densely tufted, native perennial grass
[14,17,19,23]. The culms, which are rough and rather stiff, generally
grow 1 to 3 feet (30-100 cm) tall. Old blades are typically persistent
at the base of the plant [23,17,19]. The roots are fibrous and the
rhizomes are short and thick [14,23,30].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Hemicryptophte
Geophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Sexual reproduction: Purple pinegrass compact heads are wind
pollinated, [28], and the seeds are wind dispersed [15]. Seed viability
varies each year because of the severe and unpredictable nature of its
environment [4]. Seeds collected from the Beartooth Plateau, Montana,
had a mean viability of 79 percent [5]. No significant response to
light conditions has been observed, but seeds have been found to
germinate better under wet-cold conditions than dry-cold conditions [5].
Vegetative reproduction: Purple pinegrass will regenerate vegetatively
from underground rhizomes [14].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Purple pinegrass typically grows near or above timberline on open
ridges, dry rocky hills, and dry woods, as well as in moist parks and
meadows [12,14,23,25,30]. It generally occurs from 8,000 to over 13,000
feet (2,591-3,962 m) in elevation [9]. This grass grows on sandy to
coarse textured soils [14,16]. It mostly occurs on basic soils and will
tolerate mildly saline sites and drought conditions. Purple pinegrass
grows best in full sunlight but will survive at reduced vigor under
partial shade [14].
Plant associates: Purple pinegrass is commonly associated with the
following species: limber pine (Pinus flexilis), lodgepole pine (P.
contorta), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), Ross sedge (Carex
rossii), timberline bluegrass (Poa rupicola), western yarrow (Achillea
millefolium var. lanulosa), oatgrass (Helictotrichon mortonianum), Rocky
Mountain selaginella (Selaginella densa), and upland bluegrass (P.
glaucantha) [10,16,21,25,29].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Facultative Seral Species
Purple pinegrass is an initial off-site colonizer of alpine communities
and will frequently persist in early to late seral stages [5]. This
grass also occurs among climax and successional fell-field vegetation
[3].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Spring bud break of purple pinegrass in Colorado occurs in early to
mid-May [1]. In Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming, flowering generally
begins in early June to July and ends in August [9]. Autumn die-back
occurs October 10 to 15 [1].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Calamagrostis purpurascens | Purple Pinegrass
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Purple pinegrass can establish on burned sites by wind-dispersed seeds
[8]. It can also sprout from on-site surviving rhizomes after fire.
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil
Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Calamagrostis purpurascens | Purple Pinegrass
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Purple pinegrass mortality following fire has not been widely
documented. Fire, however, will presumably kill aboveground vegetation
of purple pinegrass. Severe fires may kill belowground rhizomes.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Purple pinegrass will typically colonize sites after fire through
wind-dispersed seeds [8]. After low-severity fires this grass will
presumably sprout from on-site surviving rhizomes. In the Rockies of
Alaska, purple pinegrass typically invades dry south-facing slopes after
fire. This grass will persist here until the canopy closes; this
process, however, appears to be very slow in many places [8].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
In subalpine and alpine habitats where purple pinegrass commonly occurs,
vegetation recovers slowly from disturbance because of the cold climate
and short growing season [7,8]. The exposed nature of these sites may
increase the possibility of lightning strike, but the lack of fuels
reduces the likelihood of fire spreading through the stand. The
subalpine grasslands that form the early successional stage may last a
century or more [7].
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Calamagrostis purpurascens | Purple Pinegrass
REFERENCES :
1. Bell, Katherine L. 1974. Autumn, winter and spring phenology of some
Colorado alpine plants. American Midland Naturalist. 91(2): 460-464.
[233]
2. 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]
3. Billings, W. D. 1969. Vegetational pattern near alpine timberline as
affected by fire-snowdrift interactions. Vegetatio. 19: 192-207.
[12824]
4. Chambers, Jeanne C. 1989. Seed viability of alpine species: variability
within and among years. Journal of Range Management. 42(4): 304-308.
[7978]
5. Chambers, Jeanne C.; MacMahon, James A.; Brown, Ray W. 1987. Germination
characteristics of alpine grasses and forbs: a comparison of early and
late seral dominants with reclamation potential. Reclamation and
Revegetation Research. 6: 235-249. [2804]
6. Chambers, Jeanne C.; MacMahon, James A.; Haefner, James H. 1991. Seed
entrapment in alpine ecosystems: effects of soil particle size and
diaspore morphology. Ecology. 72(5): 1668-1677. [16961]
7. Crane, Marilyn F. 1982. Fire ecology of Rocky Mountain Region forest
habitat types. Final Report Contract No. 43-83X9-1-884. Missoula, MT:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Region 1. 272 p. On file
with: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain
Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. [5292]
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of the far northern Rockies and Alaska. Northwest Science. 27: 125-138.
[10816]
9. Dittberner, Phillip L.; Olson, Michael R. 1983. The plant information
network (PIN) data base: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and
Wyoming. FWS/OBS-83/86. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior,
Fish and Wildlife Service. 786 p. [806]
10. Douglas, George W.; Bliss, L. C. 1977. Alpine and high subalpine plant
communities of the North Cascades Range, Washington and British
Columbia. Ecological Monographs. 47: 113-150. [9487]
11. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
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ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
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reclamation in Alberta. 2d ed. Report No. RRTAC 89-4. Edmonton, AB:
Alberta Land Conservation and Reclamation Council. 436 p. [15460]
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Mountains, Utah. Ecological Monographs. 22(2): 93-120. [11657]
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and Roosevelt National Forests in central Colorado: a habitat type
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Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment
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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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19. Hulten, Eric. 1968. Flora of Alaska and neighboring territories.
Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. 1008 p. [13403]
20. Kartesz, John T.; Kartesz, Rosemarie. 1980. A synonymized checklist of
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Carolina Press; in confederation with Anne H. Lindsey and C. Richie
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and Uncompahgre National Forests. Final Report Contract No. 28-K2-234.
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[10461]
28. Spence, John R.; Shaw, Richard J. 1981. A checklist of the alpine
vascular flora of the Teton Range, Wyoming, with notes on biology and
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29. Stanek, Walter. 1980. Vegetation types and environmental factors
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Index
Related categories for Species: Calamagrostis purpurascens
| Purple Pinegrass
|
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