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Deschampsia cespitosa

(L.) P.Beauv. (1812)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Monocots Order: Poales Family: Poaceae Genus: Deschampsia

tufted hairgrass

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Tufted perennials.

Stems: Culms stiff, 30-100 cm tall, glabrous.

Roots: Roots fibrous.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades 5-30 cm long, 0.5-1.5 mm wide, folded. Surfaces glabrous. Margins scabrous. Veins parallel. Sheaths glabrous; ligule 5-8 mm long, membranous, lanceolate-acuminate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Inflorescences paniculate, 5-30 cm long, usually open, oblong-ovate, scarious, capillary branches in fascicles, some naked at base, some also spikelet-bearing near base; spikelets 2-flowered, 4.5-5.5 mm long, glabrous, rachilla pubescent, prolonged beyond second floret; first glume ca. 3.5 mm long; second glume ca. 4 mm long, keel scabrous. Lemmas thin, hyaline, scabrous, ca. 4 mm long, apex deeply 4-toothed, awned from near base, 6-9 mm long, the awn usually bent near the lower 1/3, callus hairs ca. I mm long; palea serrulate on both keels, bifid.

Fruit: Caryopsis ovoid; cylindrical; ca. 1.6 mm long; apex rostellate; the surface slightly rugose.

Ploidy: 2n = 26

Habitat: Occurring in a wide variety of habitats; from mesic to wet forest; bogs; subalpine shrubland; cinder fields; and alpine grassland.

Elevation Range: (30–)600–2,830 m.

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

  • Yes

Natural History

Statewide Status

Indigenous

Island Status

Kaua'i Endemic
Molokai Endemic
Lana'i Extirpated
Maui Indigenous
Hawai'i Endemic

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Ess. Agrostogr.: 91 (1812)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:1524 (K, Mo, M, H)

Wagner et al. 1990:1524 (K, Mo, M, H [as D. nubigena]); Snow & Davidse 2011:17 (NEWNAT/EM, DESCR [as D. caespitosa subsp. beringensis]); Faccenda 2025b:114 (L† [1871], COMBNOV, STATNOV, Syn. D. nubigena = D. c. subsp. nubigena, D. caespitosa subsp. beringensis misapplied = D. c. subsp. nubigena, DESCR)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
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