Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Narrow Spiked Reedgrass (Calamagrostis stricta ssp. inexpansa) is a native grass that grows in northern, southern and central California. It is moderately fast growing and long-lived. It grows in an upright form to a height of 3 feet, with active growth during the spring and summer. Flowers are purple and bloom in the late spring. Leaves are dark green and deciduous. It tends to grow in slopes, at elevations from 4500-11000 feet.

Plant type

Grass

Size

3 - 8 ft Tall

Form

Upright

Growth rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Calscape icon
Color

Purple

Flowering season

Spring

Special uses

Deer resistant

Sun

Partial Shade

Soil drainage

Standing

Soil description

Prefers loamy or clay soils. Grows poorly in sandy soils.

Site type

slopes, meadows, marshes,

Plant communities

Freshwater Marsh, Lodgepole Forest, Northern Coastal Scrub, Red Fir Forest, Subalpine Forest, Wetland-Riparian

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 3 likely

Confirmed Likely

Apamea maxima

Arctic Skipper

Carterocephalus palaemon

Yuma Skipper

Ochlodes yuma