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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE GRASS FAMILY | |||||||||
| The grass family is economically
and ecologically important. Many of the world’s crops are products
of the grasses. In addition, grasses are represented in almost all terrestrial
ecosystems and are an important part of the natural food chain. The grasses have a set of structures unique to the family. These plants can be annual or perennial and are usually herbaceous. The roots are fibrous, but rhizomes or runners may be found in some species. The stems are solitary or tufted, and may be branched. The stems are round with hollow internodes and solid nodes. The leaves are basal or on the stem. The stem leaves are 2-ranked, meaning they are in two vertical rows and are sheathing at the base. A ligule is present where the leaf sheath and the blade meet. The florets are in spikelets which are then arranged into clusters called spikes, racemes, or panicles. The spikelets usually have two glumes at the base and may be one to several-flowered. Sometimes there are sterile florets, which may consist only of the palea and lemma, present above or below the fertile florets. The florets are usually perfect, meaning that they have both male and female parts. The lemma and palea are the two bracts that subtend each floret. The lemma may be awnless or awned from the tip or the back. Each fertile floret has between one and three stamens and one superior ovary with a feathery stigma. The fruit type is a caryopsis or grain and is unique to the grass family. |
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| LAPLAND REEDGRASS | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Calamagrostis lapponica | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Lapland reedgrass grows as tall as 60 cm from a short, thin rhizome. The stems are loosely tufted and are generally hairless, except for below the panicle, where they may be rough hairy. The leaf blades are 2 to 3 mm wide and are flat or rolled under. The inflorescence is branched and appears purple in color. The glumes are slightly shiny and hairy on the back. The hardened thickening below the lemma has unequal hairs. The lemma is shorter than the glumes and has a slender, nearly straight awn. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Lapland reedgrass grows in moist to dry clearings and fen-margins in the boreal forest. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in northern Saskatchewan in the Mid-Boreal Upland, Athabasca Plain, Churchill River Upland, Tazin Lake Upland, and Selwyn Lake Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Lapland reedgrass is vulnerable because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. It occurs in two or three general regions of the province and is usually locally numerous within limited areas. No threats are known or anticipated. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY LAPLAND REEDGRASS | |||||||||
| * Does the hardened thickening below the lemma
have unequal hairs? * Is the inflorescence purplish? * Is the awn slender and nearly straight? * Did you find in northern Saskatchewan? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found lapland reedgrass! | |||||||||
