Page authors: Don Knoke, David Giblin
Deschampsia cespitosa
tufted hairgrass
Specimens
Photos

Distribution: Widely distributed on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the northern Great Plains, Great Lakes region, and eastern North America.

Habitat: From coastal marshes and moist prairies to alpine ridges, talus slopes, mountain meadows, and moist areas in the mountains in general.

Flowers: June-September

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Wind

Description:
General:

Strongly tufted perennial, the culms several, hollow, 2-12 dm. tall.

Leaves:

Sheaths open, glabrous to scabrous; ligules acute or obtuse, at least 4 mm. long, often split, pubescent; blades stiff, usually involute, 1.5-3 mm. broad, scabrous on the lower side, with a few raised veins.

Flowers:

Inflorescence a panicle 8-25 cm. long, from open and drooping to narrow and erect; spikelets glistening, purplish to tawny, usually 2-flowered, but often with 3 flowers; glumes narrow, the first 1-nerved, 2.5-5 mm. long, the second 3-nerved, 3-6 mm. long; lemmas 2.5-4 mm. long, 5-nerved, the tip 4-toothed; awn attached near the base of the lemma, 2.5-4 mm. long; paleas shorter than the lemmas; rachilla prolonged beyond the uppermost flower.

Accepted Name:
Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv.
Publication: Ess. Agrostogr. 91, 160, t. 18. f. 3. 1812. 1812.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
Aira caespitosa Muhl., orthographic variant
Aira holciformis (J. Presl) Steud.
Deschampsia beringensis Hultén
Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. ssp. genuina (Reichenb.) Volk., orthographic variant
Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. ssp. glauca (Hartm.) Hartm., orthographic variant
Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. ssp. orientalis Hultén, orthographic variant
Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. ssp. parviflora (Thuill.) K. Richt., orthographic variant
Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. var. abbei Boivin, orthographic variant
Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. var. alpicola (Rydb.) Á. & D. Löve & Kapoor, orthographic variant
Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. var. glauca (Hartm.) Lindm. f., orthographic variant
Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. var. intercotidalis Boivin, orthographic variant
Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. var. littoralis (Gaudin) Richter, orthographic variant
Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. var. longiflora Beal, orthographic variant
Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. var. maritima Vasey, orthographic variant
Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. var. parviflora (Thuill.) Coss. & Germ., orthographic variant
Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. ssp. beringensis (Hultén) W.E. Lawr.
Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. ssp. cespitosa
Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. ssp. holciformis (J. Presl) W.E. Lawr.
Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. var. arctica Vasey [HC]
Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. var. cespitosa [HC]
Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. var. longiflora Beal [HC]
Deschampsia glauca Hartm.
Deschampsia holciformis J. Presl
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Deschampsia cespitosa in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database

WA Flora Checklist: Deschampsia cespitosa checklist entry

OregonFlora: Deschampsia cespitosa information

E-Flora BC: Deschampsia cespitosa atlas page

CalPhotos: Deschampsia cespitosa photos

28 photographs:
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