Pacific Reedgrass, Calamagrostis nutkaensis

About Pacific Reedgrass (Calamagrostis nutkaensis) 46 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Calamagrostis nutkaensis is a species of grass known by the common names Pacific Reedgrass and Nootka Reedgrass. It is native to western North America from Alaska to San Luis Obispo County, where it is mainly a coastal species growing in moist areas such as beaches, dunes, coastal woodlands and wetlands. This is a perennial grass forming thick tufts of stems which may exceed a meter in height. There are several flat grass leaves up to a centimeter wide. The flower cluster is usually narrow and thin. This is a popular ornamental grass for the north coast.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Grasses

Size

3.3 ft tall

Dormancy

Evergreen

Flower Color

Brown

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Arctic Skipper Carterocephalus palaemonCarterocephalus palaemon

Apamea maximaApamea maxima

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation

Keep moist

Nurseries

Carried by 46

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage

Standing

Soil Description

Tolerates a variety of soils. Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.8

Common uses

Deer Resistant

Companion Plants

Use with other wet area plants such as Sedge (Carex or Cyperus sp.), Spikerush (Eleocharis sp.), Bullrush (Schoeoplectus or Scirpus sp.), and Cattail (Typha sp.), and with trees/shrubs of the north coast such as Fir (Abies sp.), Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp.), Ceanothus sp., Coast Silk Tassel (Garrya elliptica), Ocean Spray (Holodiscus discolor), Tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus), Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Currant/Gooseberry (Ribes sp.), Snowberry (Symphoricarpos sp.), Bay Laurel (Umbellularia californica), and Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum)

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Sunset Zones?

4*, 5*, 6*, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Natural Setting

Site Type

Wet places, beaches,, dunes, woodland edges

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 11.8" - 154.4", Summer Precipitation: 0.20" - 5.76", Coldest Month: 34.7" - 51.0", Hottest Month: 53.4" - 73.1", Humidity: 0.01" - 18.57", Elevation: -51" - 5980"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Nootka Reed Grass, Nootka Reedgrass, Pacific Reed Grass

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Pacific Reedgrass

Calamagrostis nutkaensis

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Pacific ReedgrassCalamagrostis nutkaensis

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Pacific Reedgrass

Calamagrostis nutkaensis