Fire Effects Information System (FEIS)

FEIS Home Page

SPECIES:  Calamagrostis purpurascens

Introductory
SPECIES: Calamagrostis purpurascens
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Tesky, Julie L. 1992. Calamagrostis purpurascens. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: 
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/graminoid/calpur/all.html [].


ABBREVIATION : 
CALPUR

SYNONYMS : 
NO-ENTRY


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   CAPU


COMMON NAMES : 
purple reedgrass   
alpine reedgrass
purple pinegrass


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name for purple reedgrass is
Calamagrostis purpurascens R. Br. [12,17,18,19,20].  Recognized
subspecies and varieties include [12,19,20]:
        
        Calamagrostis purpurascens ssp. purpurascens (or var. purpurascens)
        Calamagrostis purpurascens ssp. arctica (Vasey) Hult.
        Calamagrostis purpurascens var. maltei Polunin


LIFE FORM : 
Graminoid

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY

DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Calamagrostis purpurascens
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
Purple reedgrass occurs from Greenland to Alaska, and south to
California in the Olympic and Cascade Mountains.  It also occurs east to
Quebec and south to Colorado through the Rocky Mountains
[12,14,17,18,23].


ECOSYSTEMS : 
   FRES20  Douglas-fir
   FRES21  Ponderosa pine
   FRES22  Western white pine
   FRES23  Fir - spruce
   FRES26  Lodgepole pine
   FRES36  Mountain grasslands
   FRES37  Mountain meadows
   FRES44  Alpine


STATES : 
     AK  CA  CO  ID  MN  MT  NV  OR  SD  UT
     WA  WY  AB  BC  MB  NF  NT  ON  PQ  SK
     YT



BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
   2  Cascade Mountains
   4  Sierra Mountains
   8  Northern Rocky Mountains
   9  Middle Rocky Mountains
   11 Southern Rocky Mountains
   13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
   15 Black Hills Uplift


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
   K008  Lodgepole pine - subalpine forest
   K015  Western spruce - fir forest
   K017  Black Hills pine forest
   K018  Pine - Douglas-fir forest
   K019  Arizona pine forest
   K020  Spruce - fir Douglas-fir forest
   K021  Southwestern spruce - fir forest
   K052  Alpine meadows and barren


SAF COVER TYPES : 
   206  Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir
   208  Whitebark pine
   209  Bristlecone pine
   218  Lodgepole pine
   219  Limber pine
   256  California mixed subalpine


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
Purple reedgrass generally occurs as a dominant or codominant understory
species on exposed, high-elevation rocky ridgetops and upper slopes
[10,16,21,29].  Publications listing this grass as a dominant or
codominant in habitat types (hts), community types (cts), or vegetation
types (vts) are listed below:

Area                    Classification               Author

CO: Arapaho &           forest hts                   Hess & Alexander 1986
    Roosevelt NF
CO: Gunninson &         forest hts                   Komarkova 1986
    Umcompahgre NF
Yukon                   vts                          Stanek 1980
WA & BC:North Cascades  cts                          Douglas & Bliss 1977

MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Calamagrostis purpurascens

IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Early in the season this grass is grazed readily by all classes of
livestock, but after midsummer it is grazed only lightly or moderately
by cattle and horses.  It is also consumed by bighorn sheep [30].


PALATABILITY : 
The relish and degree of use shown by livestock for purple reedgrass in
Utah is rated as good for cattle, fair for sheep, and good for horses
[9].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Purple reedgrass has been rated as fair in energy value and poor in
protein value [9].


COVER VALUE : 
The degree to which purple reedgrass provides environmental protection
during one or more seasons for wildlife species is as follows [9]:

                          CO       UT       WY

Pronghorn                ----     Poor     Poor
Elk                      ----     Poor     Poor
Mule deer                ----     Poor     Poor
White-tailed deer        Poor     ----     ----
Small mammals            ----     Good     Fair
Small nongame birds      ----     Good     Fair
Upland game birds        ----     Fair     Fair
Waterfowl                ----     ----     Poor


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Reclamation of disturbed subalpine and alpine ecosystems is almost
totally dependent upon the use of adapted native species such as purple
pinegrass [4].  Fibrous roots as well as the ability to colonize hostile
sites makes this species a good soil builder and an effective tool in
erosion control [14].  This grass recovers well after oil spills and is
a useful species for reclamation of these sites [14].  Purple reedgrass
has been found on spoil heaps of abandoned subalpine coil-mined land
[27].  It has some potential for use in reclamation in the Rocky
Mountains of Alberta, but further research on genetic variability, seed
handling, and early management is needed [14].  Seeds of this grass
should be planted on disturbed sites in autumn in order to maximize the
opportunity for natural stratification.  Seeds should be stored at low
temperatures [0 deg F (-18 deg C)] to maximize their longevity [4].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY

BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Calamagrostis purpurascens
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Purple reedgrass is an erect, densely tufted, native perennial grass
[14,17,19,23].  The culms, which are rough and rather stiff, generally
grow 1 to 3 feet (30-100 cm) tall.  Old blades are typically persistent
at the base of the plant [23,17,19].  The roots are fibrous and the
rhizomes are short and thick [14,23,30].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
Hemicryptophyte   
Geophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Sexual reproduction:  Purple reedgrass compact heads are wind
pollinated, [28], and the seeds are wind dispersed [15].  Seed viability
varies each year because of the severe and unpredictable nature of its
environment [4].  Seeds collected from the Beartooth Plateau, Montana,
had a mean viability of 79 percent [5].  No significant response to
light conditions has been observed, but seeds have been found to
germinate better under wet-cold conditions than dry-cold conditions [5].

Vegetative reproduction:  Purple reedgrass will regenerate vegetatively
from underground rhizomes [14].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Purple reedgrass typically grows near or above timberline on open
ridges, dry rocky hills, and dry woods, as well as in moist parks and
meadows [12,14,23,25,30].  It generally occurs from 8,000 to over 13,000
feet (2,591-3,962 m) in elevation [9].  This grass grows on sandy to
coarse textured soils [14,16].  It mostly occurs on basic soils and will
tolerate mildly saline sites and drought conditions.  Purple reedgrass
grows best in full sunlight but will survive at reduced vigor under
partial shade [14].

Plant associates:  Purple reedgrass is commonly associated with the
following species:  limber pine (Pinus flexilis), lodgepole pine (P.
contorta), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), Ross sedge (Carex
rossii), timberline bluegrass (Poa rupicola), western yarrow (Achillea
millefolium var. lanulosa), oatgrass (Helictotrichon mortonianum), Rocky
Mountain selaginella (Selaginella densa), and upland bluegrass (P.
glaucantha) [10,16,21,25,29].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Purple reedgrass is an initial off-site colonizer of alpine communities
and will frequently persist in early to late seral stages [5].  This
grass also occurs among climax and successional fell-field vegetation
[3].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Spring bud break of purple reedgrass in Colorado occurs in early to
mid-May [1].  In Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming, flowering generally
begins in early June to July and ends in August [9].  Autumn die-back
occurs October 10 to 15 [1].

FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Calamagrostis purpurascens
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Purple reedgrass can establish on burned sites by wind-dispersed seeds
[8].  It can also sprout from on-site surviving rhizomes after fire.

FIRE REGIMES : 
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this 
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".

POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil
   Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)

FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Calamagrostis purpurascens
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Purple reedgrass mortality following fire has not been widely
documented.  Fire, however, will presumably kill aboveground vegetation
of purple reedgrass.  Severe fires may kill belowground rhizomes.


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Purple reedgrass will typically colonize sites after fire through
wind-dispersed seeds [8].  After low-severity fires this grass will
presumably sprout from on-site surviving rhizomes.  In the Rockies of
Alaska, purple reedgrass typically invades dry south-facing slopes after
fire.  This grass will persist here until the canopy closes; this
process, however, appears to be very slow in many places [8].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
The Research Project Summary Vegetation response to restoration treatments
in ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir forests of western Montana provides
information on prescribed fire and postfire response of plant community
species, including purple reedgrass, that was not available when this species
review was written.


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
In subalpine and alpine habitats where purple reedgrass commonly occurs,
vegetation recovers slowly from disturbance because of the cold climate
and short growing season [7,8].  The exposed nature of these sites may
increase the possibility of lightning strike, but the lack of fuels
reduces the likelihood of fire spreading through the stand.  The
subalpine grasslands that form the early successional stage may last a
century or more [7].

REFERENCES
SPECIES: Calamagrostis purpurascens
REFERENCES : 

 .  Bell, Katherine L. 1974. Autumn, winter and spring phenology of some
       Colorado alpine plants. American Midland Naturalist. 91(2): 460-464.
       [233]

 .  Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
       reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
       associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
       U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
       [434]

 .  Billings, W. D. 1969. Vegetational pattern near alpine timberline as
       affected by fire-snowdrift interactions. Vegetatio. 19: 192-207.
       [12824]

 .  Chambers, Jeanne C. 1989. Seed viability of alpine species: variability
       within and among years. Journal of Range Management. 42(4): 304-308.
       [7978]

 .  Chambers, Jeanne C.; MacMahon, James A.; Brown, Ray W. 1987. Germination
       characteristics of alpine grasses and forbs: a comparison of early and
       late seral dominants with reclamation potential. Reclamation and
       Revegetation Research. 6: 235-249.  [2804]

 .  Chambers, Jeanne C.; MacMahon, James A.; Haefner, James H. 1991. Seed
       entrapment in alpine ecosystems: effects of soil particle size and
       diaspore morphology. Ecology. 72(5): 1668-1677.  [16961]

 .  Crane, Marilyn F. 1982. Fire ecology of Rocky Mountain Region forest
       habitat types. Final Report Contract No. 43-83X9-1-884. Missoula, MT:
       U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Region 1. 272 p. On file
       with: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain
       Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT.  [5292]

 .  Daubenmire, Rexford. 1953. Notes on the vegetation of forested regions
       of the far northern Rockies and Alaska. Northwest Science. 27: 125-138.
       [10816]

 .  Dittberner, Phillip L.; Olson, Michael R. 1983. The plant information
       network (PIN) data base: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and
       Wyoming. FWS/OBS-83/86. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior,
       Fish and Wildlife Service. 786 p.  [806]

.  Douglas, George W.; Bliss, L. C. 1977. Alpine and high subalpine plant
       communities of the North Cascades Range, Washington and British
       Columbia. Ecological Monographs. 47: 113-150.  [9487]

.  Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
       Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p.  [905]

.  Grelen, H. E. 1990. Ilex opaca Ait.  American holly. In: Burns, Russell
       M.; Honkala, Barbara H., technical coordinators. Silvics of North
       America. Vol. 2. Hardwoods. Agric. Handb. 654. Washington, DC: U.S.
       Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 379-385.  [9131]

.  Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
       1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
       ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
       Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p.  [998]

.  Hardy BBT Limited. 1989. Manual of plant species suitability for
       reclamation in Alberta. 2d ed. Report No. RRTAC 89-4. Edmonton, AB:
       Alberta Land Conservation and Reclamation Council. 436 p.  [15460]

.  Hayward, C. Lynn. 1952. Alpine biotic communities of the Uinta
       Mountains, Utah. Ecological Monographs. 22(2): 93-120.  [11657]

.  Hess, Karl; Alexander, Robert R. 1986. Forest vegetation of the Arapaho
       and Roosevelt National Forests in central Colorado: a habitat type
       classification. Res. Pap. RM-266. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of
       Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment
       Station. 48 p.  [1141]

.  Hitchcock, A. S. 1951. Manual of the grasses of the United States. Misc.
       Publ. No. 200. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture,
       Agricultural Research Administration. 1051 p. [2nd edition revised by
       Agnes Chase in two volumes. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.].  [1165]

.  Hitchcock, C. Leo; Cronquist, Arthur; Ownbey, Marion. 1969. Vascular
       plants of the Pacific Northwest. Part 1: Vascular cryptograms,
       gymnosperms, and monocotyledons. Seattle, WA: University of Washington
       Press. 914 p.  [1169]

.  Hulten, Eric. 1968. Flora of Alaska and neighboring territories.
       Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. 1008 p.  [13403]

.  Kartesz, John T.; Kartesz, Rosemarie. 1980. A synonymized checklist of
       the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. Volume
       II: The biota of North America. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North
       Carolina Press; in confederation with Anne H. Lindsey and C. Richie
       Bell, North Carolina Botanical Garden. 500 p.  [6954]

.  Komarkova, Vera. 1986. Habitat types on selected parts of the Gunnison
       and Uncompahgre National Forests. Final Report Contract No. 28-K2-234.
       Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky
       Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 270 p.  [1369]

.  Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
       of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
       American Geographical Society. 77 p.  [1384]

.  Lackschewitz, Klaus. 1991. Vascular plants of west-central
       Montana--identification guidebook. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-227. Ogden, UT:
       U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research
       Station. 648 p.  [13798]

.  Lyon, L. Jack; Stickney, Peter F. 1976. Early vegetal succession
       following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall
       Timbers fire ecology conference and Intermountain Fire Research Council
       fire and land management symposium; 1974 October 8-10; Missoula, MT. No.
       14. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 355-373.  [1496]

.  Marr, John W. 1961. Ecosystems of the east slope of the Front Range in
       Colorado. Studies Series in Biology 8. Boulder, CO: University of
       Colorado. 134 p.  [5724]

.  Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
       geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p.  [2843]

.  Russell, W. B. 1985. Vascular flora of abandoned coal-mined land, Rocky
       Mountain Foothills, Alberta. Canadian Field-Naturalist. 99(4): 503-516.
       [10461]

.  Spence, John R.; Shaw, Richard J. 1981. A checklist of the alpine
       vascular flora of the Teton Range, Wyoming, with notes on biology and
       habitat preferences. Great Basin Naturalist. 41(2): 232-242.  [9839]

.  Stanek, Walter. 1980. Vegetation types and environmental factors
       associated with Foothills Gas pipeline route, Yukon Territory. BC-X-205.
       Victoria, BC: Environment Canada, Canadian Forestry Service, Pacific
       Forest Research Centre. 48 p.  [16527]

.  U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1937. Range plant
       handbook. Washington, DC. 532 p.  [2387]

.  U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1982.
       National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names.
       SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p.  [11573]

.  Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
       Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
       Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
       Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p.  [20090]