Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Calamagrostis nutkaensis is a species of grass known by the common names Pacific Reedgrass and Nootka Reedgrass. It is native to western North America from Alaska to San Luis Obispo County, where it is mainly a coastal species growing in moist areas such as beaches, dunes, coastal woodlands and wetlands. This is a perennial grass forming thick tufts of stems which may exceed a meter in height. There are several flat grass leaves up to a centimeter wide. The flower cluster is usually narrow and thin. This is a popular ornamental grass for the north coast.

Plant type

Grass

Size

3 ft Tall

Dormancy

Evergreen

Calscape icon
Color

Brown

Special uses

Deer resistant

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Water

Moderate

Summer irrigation

Keep moist

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil drainage

Standing

Soil description

Tolerates a variety of soils.
Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.8

Propagation

For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Sunset Zones

4*, 5*, 6*, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Site type

Wet places, beaches, , dunes, woodland edges

Plant communities

Closed-cone Pine Forest, Freshwater Marsh, Mixed Evergreen Forest, Forest, Wetland-Riparian

Use with other wet area plants such as Sedge (Carex spp. or Cyperus spp.), Spikerush (Eleocharis spp.), Bullrush (Schoeoplectus spp. or Scirpus spp.), and Cattail (Typha spp.), and with trees/shrubs of the north coast such as Fir (Abies spp.), Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), Ceanothus spp., Coast Silk Tassel (Garrya elliptica), Ocean Spray (Holodiscus discolor), Tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus), Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Currant/Gooseberry (Ribes spp.), Snowberry (Symphoricarpos spp.), Bay Laurel (Umbellularia californica), and Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum)

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 2 likely

Confirmed Likely

Apamea maxima

Arctic Skipper

Carterocephalus palaemon