Calamagrostis
Adans.Tufted, rhizomatous or stoloniferous perennials. Leaves flat to convolute; ligules membranous, blunt. Inflorescence a panicle, sometimes tightly contracted. Spikelets 1-flowered, strongly laterally compressed; glumes 2, subequal, equal to or exceeding lemma, persistent, the lower 1-nerved, the upper 1–3-nerved; lemma 5-nerved, papery, entire or shallowly notched at apex with a short, stout subterminal awn, glabrous except for callus hairs; palea papery, 2-nerved, about equal to lemma.
About 250 species from temperate regions of both hemispheres; 1 species naturalised in Australia.
The sole Australian species was, until recently, included in Ammophila, but extensive molecular sampling has shown A. arenaria to be embedded within Calamagrostis (Saarela et al., 2017). In the same study, a second species, Ammophila breviligulata Fernald was shown not to be congeneric with A. arenaria.
SpinningSynonyms
Saarela, J.M.; Bull, R.D.; Paradis, M.J.; Ebata, S.N.; Peterson, P.M.; Soreng, R.J.; Paszko, R. (2017). Molecular phylogenetics of cool-season grasses in the subtribes Agrostidinae, Anthoxanthinae, Aveninae, Brizinae, Calothecinae, Koeleriinae and Phalaridinae (Poaceae, Pooideae, Poeae, Poeae chloroplast group 1). Phytokeys 87: 1–139.
