Participant Info

Species

Calamagrostis purpurascens [Calamagrostis lepageana] [Calamagrostis maltei] etc.

Family

Poaceae

CommonName

purple reedgrass

Presence

yes

Status

native

EarliestDate

1911

LatestDate

2025

Ecosystem

montane, subalpine, tundra

Geobotanical

SSawatch, Garitas, SSanjuans, Culebras, NCristos

Counties

Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache

Passes

WildlifePreserves

Big Meadows Reservoir

Other Localities

PhotoRecords

YES Rich Haswell: Mineral Co, Big Meadows Reservoir, 13 Aug 2025

Comments

Purple reedgrass—perennial and cool-season—has been fairly often collected from the montane, subalpine, and tundra in all mountain regions of the Watershed. Calamagrostis purpurascens prefers dry rocky slopes, unlike the other wide-spread species in the Watershed, Calamagrostis canadensis. Again the awn is a crucial determinant trait, rising from the base of the lemma and twisted within the lemma and geniculate beyond it. The species is found in all Western USA states with the exception of Arizona. It follows the Rio Grande drainage just barely into New Mexico, no farther down stream

Annotation