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GRASSES OF THE COLUMBIA BASIN OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Heather Stewart, Richard Hebda Major Groups of Grasses Table of Contents Glossary Calamovilfa Sandgrass This North American genus has five species and resembles Calamagrostis superficially. Differing ligule types (in Calamagrostis it is membranelike compared to a ring of short hairs in Calamovilfa) can be observed with a hand lens. Calamovilfa has some value as a forage grass for horses, and with the stout rhizome it is a good soil stabilizer, especially in sand. Calamovilfa longifolia (Hook) Scribn. var. longifolia Prairie Sandgrass Plant: Calamovilfa longifolia is a native species that grows to 60-150 cm tall. It is a coarse, strongly rhizomatous perennial. The flowerhead is 40 cm long and narrow to open. Leaves and Stem: The open sheaths are smooth to soft hairy, and the hairs at the sheath throat are 2-3 mm long. The <1-mm-long ligule consists of a ring of short hairs. The inrolled leaf blades are 3-8 mm wide, and have long, slender tips. Flowerhead and Flowers: The flowerhead is 40 cm long and narrow to open. Spikelets are pale green or purplish. The notably unequal glumes are 4.5-7 mm long, and extend into long, sharp points. The smooth lemma is midway in length between the two glumes and may be sharp-pointed to blunt. The callus is very hairy. Habitat: Prairie Sandgrass grows on dry, sandy sites in the steppe and lower montane zones. In the Columbia Basin, Prairie Sandgrass occurs at Tobacco Plains, Wasa Lake, Bull River and along the Kootenay River. The Waldo site recorded in the Royal BC Museum database is now under water. Similar Species: Calamovilfa can appear to resemble Calamagrostis, but the ligules of Calamovilfa consist of short hairs whereas the ligules of Calamagrostis are membranelike.

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