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GRASSES OF THE COLUMBIA BASIN OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Heather Stewart, Richard Hebda Major Groups of Grasses Table of Contents Glossary Vahlodea Hairgrass Vahlodea was originally part of Deschampsia, but is now separated based on flat leaf blades, blunt ligules and purple spikelets.   Vahlodea atropurpurea (Wahlenb.) Fries Deschampsia atropurpurea (Wahlenb.) Scheele Mountain Hairgrass Plant: Vahlodea atropurpurea is a native species that grows to 15-60 cm tall. It is a loosely tufted perennial with an open, often drooping flowerhead and purplish spikelets. Leaves and Stem: Sheaths are open and there are no auricles. The ligules are 1.5-3.5 mm long, blunt, hairy and have a jagged upper edge. The smooth, soft hairy leaves are deep green, flat and 4-6 mm wide. The leaf tips can appear boatlike as in the genus Poa. Flowerhead and Flowers: The open, drooping flowerhead is 5-10 cm long. The purplish spikelets often have three flowers. Slightly unequal, purplish glumes are sharply pointed at the tip but also narrow toward the base. Both glumes exceed the second flower, therefore concealing it. The 2.5-4.0-mm-long lemmas end in a jagged point. The callus has hairs that are about ½ the length of the lemmas. A stout, 2.5-mm-long twisted awn extends from the midpoint of the second lemma. Habitat: Mountain Hairgrass grows in moist meadows, subalpine forests and along streambanks in the montane to alpine zones. In the Columbia Basin region it is common at upper elevations and occurs at Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park, Mount Revelstoke National Park, Sproat Mountain, Yoho River Valley, Glacier National Park and Akamina-Kishinena Creek Similar Species: Vahlodea is similar to Deschampsia, but it differs in that the leaves of Vahlodea are flat compared to inrolled; the ligule of Vahlodea is blunt, not pointed and the spikelet of Vahlodea is purplish compared to greenish or bronze in Deschampsia.

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