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Tufted Hair Grass

Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv.

Associations

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Plant / resting place / on
puparium of Agromyza lucida may be found on leaf (outside mine) of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
apothecium of Albotricha acutipila is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 4-8

Foodplant / saprobe
clypeate perithecium of Anthostomella tomicum is saprobic on dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 2-9

Foodplant / saprobe
colony of Arthrinium dematiaceous anamorph of Arthrinium phaeospermum is saprobic on dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: esp. 7-8

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / saprobe
sporodochium of Arthrinium dematiaceous anamorph of Arthrinium puccinioides is saprobic on often dry, bleached, dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: (1-)3-5(-12)

Foodplant / spot causer
pycnidium of Ascochyta coelomycetous anamorph of Ascochyta rhodesii causes spots on leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / parasite
Blumeria graminis parasitises live Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
superficial perithecium of Cephalotheca clarkii is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa

Plant / resting place / within
puparium of Cerodontha deschampsiae may be found in leaf-mine of Deschampsia cespitosa
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / parasite
Sphacelia anamorph of Claviceps purpurea parasitises inflorescence of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 7

Foodplant / saprobe
apothecium of Crocicreas culmicola is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 7-9

Foodplant / saprobe
stalked apothecium of Crocicreas megalosporum var. gramineum is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 10-12

Foodplant / saprobe
effuse colony of Curvularia dematiaceous anamorph of Curvularia protuberata is saprobic on dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / gall
stroma of Epichlo causes gall of stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: Other: uncertain

Plant / associate
Fieberocapsus flaveolus is associated with base of tussock of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / pathogen
immersed, mycelial matted perithecium of Gaeumannomyces graminis infects and damages dead leaf sheath (lower part) of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 3-10

Foodplant / saprobe
immersed pseudothecium of Hadrospora clarkii is saprobic on dead leaf sheath of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 10

Foodplant / saprobe
shortly stalked apothecium of Hymenoscyphus nitidulus is saprobic on dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 1

Foodplant / saprobe
superficial stroma of Hypocrea spinulosa is saprobic on decaying stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 8-11

Foodplant / sap sucker
nymph of Ischnodemus sabuleti agg. sucks sap of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
apothecium of Lachnum carneolum var. longisporum is saprobic on dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: (2-)6-8(-10)

Foodplant / saprobe
solitay, sessile to substipitate apothecium of Lachnum luteovinosum is saprobic on dead, decaying leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
scattered, subiculate, immersed becoming superficial perithecium of Lasiosphaeria dactylina is saprobic on culm of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 4-8

Foodplant / saprobe
scattered, initially immersed pseudothecium of Leptosphaeria culmifraga is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: spring, summer

Foodplant / saprobe
Alternaria dematiaceous anamorph of Lewia infectoria is saprobic on dead, fungus infected leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
thyriothecium of Lichenopeltella alpestris is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 4-11

Foodplant / saprobe
mostly immersed, becoming partly erumpent to free pseudothecium of Lophiostoma semiliberum is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 12-4

Foodplant / saprobe
numerous, often confluent pycnothyrium of Actinothyrium coelomycetous anamorph of Lophodermium apiculatum is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 3-8

Foodplant / saprobe
erumpent apothecium of Lophodermium culmigenum is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 3-8

Foodplant / saprobe
erumpent apothecium of Lophodermium gramineum is saprobic on dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
effuse colony of Tetraploa dematiaceous anamorph of Massarina tetraploa is saprobic on dead Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 1-12
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / spot causer
colony of Mastigosporium anamorph of Mastigosporium album causes spots on leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / spot causer
colony of Mastigosporium anamorph of Mastigosporium deschampsiae causes spots on live leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
fruitbody of Melanotus phillipsii is saprobic on dead, decayed leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
sessile, shielded apothecium of Micropeziza karstenii is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 7-12

Foodplant / saprobe
sessile apothecium of Mollisia mutabilis is saprobic on dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 2-3

Foodplant / saprobe
sessile apothecium of Mollisia palustris is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 3-9

Foodplant / saprobe
immersed, linearly arranged pseudothecium of Mycosphaerella lineolata is saprobic on dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
pseudothecium of Mycosphaerella recutita is saprobic on Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
sporodochium of Myrothecium dematiaceous anamorph of Myrothecium atroviride is saprobic on Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
erumpent stroma of Oomyces carneoalbus is saprobic on dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 1-6

Foodplant / saprobe
immersed pseudothecium of Paraphaeosphaeria michotii is saprobic on dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 1-7

Foodplant / saprobe
effuse colony of Periconia dematiaceous anamorph of Periconia hispidula is saprobic on dry, dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 1-12

Foodplant / saprobe
sessile apothecium of Pezizella nigrocorticata is saprobic on dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
scattered, initially immersed pseudothecium of Phaeosphaeria eustoma is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: spring, summer

Foodplant / saprobe
scattered, initially immersed pseudothecium of Phaeosphaeria fuckelii is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: spring, summer

Foodplant / saprobe
scattered, initially immersed pseudothecium of Phaeosphaeria luctuosa is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: spring, summer

Foodplant / saprobe
scattered, initially immersed pseudothecium of Phaeosphaeria nigrans is saprobic on dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: spring, summer

Foodplant / saprobe
scattered, initially immersed pycnidium of Septoria anamorph of Phaeosphaeria nodorum is saprobic on dead stem (esp node) of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: spring, summer

Foodplant / saprobe
pycnidium of Hendersonia coelomycetous anamorph of Phaeosphaeria vagans is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
immersed perithecium of Phomatospora berkeleyi is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 2-9

Foodplant / saprobe
immersed apothecium of Phragmonaevia hysterioides is saprobic on dead, dry leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 6-9

Foodplant / saprobe
apothecium of Pseudohelotium alaunae is saprobic on dead leaf sheath (basal) of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 10-5

Foodplant / saprobe
apothecium of Psilachnum acutum is saprobic on dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 8-10
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / saprobe
apothecium of Psilachnum eburneum is saprobic on dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 4-9

Foodplant / parasite
hypophyllous telium of Puccinia brachypodii var. arrhenatheri parasitises live leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: early summer+

Foodplant / parasite
hypophyllous telium of Puccinia coronata parasitises live leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: mid 8-

Foodplant / parasite
amphigenous, scattered or in short rows uredium of Puccinia graminis f.sp. airae parasitises live leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
colony of Rutola dematiaceous anamorph of Rutola graminis is saprobic on Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
clypeate, emerging through centre of clypeus apothecium of Scutomollisia papillata is saprobic on culm of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 8

Foodplant / saprobe
scattered, black pycnidium of Septoria coelomycetous anamorph of Septoria alopecuri var. airae is saprobic on dead culm of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 3

Foodplant / saprobe
grouped, at first subepidermal, dark brown pycnidium of Stagonospora coelomycetous anamorph of Stagonospora arenaria var. arenaria is saprobic on culm of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 5-10

Foodplant / saprobe
numerous, scattered or in short rows, immersed pycnidium of Stagonospora coelomycetous anamorph of Stagonospora subseriata is saprobic on dead stem of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 4-5

Foodplant / saprobe
superficial, scattered pseudothecium of Taphrophila argyllensis is saprobic on rotting leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / open feeder
nocturnal larva of Tenthredopsis coquebertii grazes on leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / open feeder
nocturnal larva of Tenthredopsis nassata grazes on leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
effuse colony of Helicosporium anamorph of Tubeufia paludosa is saprobic on dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 3-11

Foodplant / spot causer
long, linear, erumpent sorus of Ustilago striiformis causes spots on live, blistered leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa

Foodplant / saprobe
short-stalked apothecium of Venturiocistella heterotricha is saprobic on dead leaf of Deschampsia cespitosa
Remarks: season: 9-2

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Comments

provided by eFloras
Deschampsia cespitosa is an extremely polymorphic, widely distributed grass. Many regional and local variants have been accorded separate status, either at specific or infraspecific rank. Variation is complex due to polyploidy and introgression, and morphological and cytological variation often do not coincide. There is extensive overlapping of diagnostic characters leading to a lack of clear boundaries between taxa. Variation is nowadays usually consigned to subspecies, mostly strongly linked to geographic distribution. The main variants reported in China are given below.

The position of the awn on the lemma back refers to the lowest lemma. In general the awn arises higher up on the second lemma, and short awns arise higher on the lemma back than do longer awns. A specimen collected at 2800 m on a grassy spur in Shennongjia, Hubei, has been described as Deschampsia cespitosa var. exaristata Z. L. Wu (Acta Biol. Plateau Sin. 2: 15. 1984). In this plant the lower lemma has a ca. 0.5 mm awn arising from the upper 1/5, or both lemmas are awnless. It is not possible from the protologue to assign it to a subspecies.

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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of China Vol. 22: 332, 333 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
source
Flora of China @ eFloras.org
editor
Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven & Hong Deyuan
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eFloras.org
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Description

provided by eFloras
Perennial, densely tufted. Culms erect, slender to stout, 30–150 cm tall, 1–3 mm in diam., 1–3-noded. Leaf sheaths loose, glabrous; leaf blades linear, flat or folded, up to 30 cm, 1–5 mm wide, abaxial surface smooth, adaxial surface with coarse sharp ridges, densely scabrid; ligule obtuse to acuminate, 2–7(–12) mm. Panicle usually open, often nodding, infrequently loosely contracted, ovate to narrowly oblong in outline, up to 30 cm or more, greenish or purplish sometimes with golden sheen; branches slender, bearing spikelets on distal part. Spikelets 2.5–7 mm, florets (1–)2(–3), rachilla internode ca. 1 mm; glumes slightly longer to slightly shorter than florets, lower glume slightly shorter than or equaling upper glume, 1-veined, upper glume 3-veined, apex acute; callus hairs ca. 1/3 lemma length; lemmas 2.5–3.5 mm, awned from near base to near middle, rarely awnless, apex broad, toothed or erose; awn straight or slightly bent, slightly shorter to longer than lemma. Anthers 1.2–2 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul–Sep.
license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of China Vol. 22: 332, 333 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
source
Flora of China @ eFloras.org
editor
Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven & Hong Deyuan
project
eFloras.org
original
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partner site
eFloras

Distribution

provided by eFloras
Gansu, Heilongjiang, Nei Mongol, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xinjiang, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, India (Sikkim), Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia, Europe, North America; introduced elsewhere].
license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of China Vol. 22: 332, 333 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
source
Flora of China @ eFloras.org
editor
Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven & Hong Deyuan
project
eFloras.org
original
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eFloras

Habitat

provided by eFloras
Wet meadows, river sand and gravel, among bushes, wet places; 1500–4500 m.
license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of China Vol. 22: 332, 333 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
source
Flora of China @ eFloras.org
editor
Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven & Hong Deyuan
project
eFloras.org
original
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eFloras

Synonym

provided by eFloras
Aira cespitosa Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 64. 1753.
license
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copyright
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of China Vol. 22: 332, 333 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
source
Flora of China @ eFloras.org
editor
Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven & Hong Deyuan
project
eFloras.org
original
visit source
partner site
eFloras

Brief Summary

provided by EOL authors
Dechampsia cespitosa is is distributed broadly including Russia, China, Japan, Korea, Arctic Europe and North America. The plant is found in moist meadows, river sand and gravel, among scrub, coastal prairies and other habitats.

With a common name of Tufted hairgrass, this perennial is densely tufted and can reach a height of one meter. Some Native American tribes utilized seeds from this species as a food source.
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Broad-scale Impacts of Plant Response to Fire

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
More info for the terms: association, cover, forest, herbaceous, root crown, seed, severity, wildfire

Wildfire Case Study?
Tufted hairgrass response was studied following a lightning-ignited fire in
Ellis Meadow, a 30-acre (12 ha) subalpine meadow within the Roaring
River drainage of Kings Canyon National Park, California, in the
southern Sierra Nevada. The prefire community was subalpine meadow vegetation
within forest dominated by Sierra lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta spp. murrayana).
The meadow community was dominated by beaked sedge (Carex rostrata), tufted
hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa), Idaho bentgrass (Agrostis
idahoensis), and Mexican rush (Juncus mexicanus).  Other common
herbaceous species were primrose monkeyflower (Mimulus primuloides),
Parish's yampah (Perideridia parishii), small white violet (Viola
macloskeyi), and several species of fireweed (Epilobium spp.) [24,25].

The study site is at 9,154 feet (2,790 m) elevation.  The area is a
generally flat, basin-type meadow.  The meadow surface consists of
low-lying troughs between hummocks formed by the root crowns of tufted
grasses and sedges.  An organic layer up to 12 inches (30 cm) deep
overlays a loamy sand soil.  The water table usually remains within a
few inches of the surface throughout the summer.  However, precipitation
had been 45 to 50 percent below the normal average of 41.1 inches (1,044
mm) for each of the 2 years before the fire.  The summer of the fire was
very dry. The wildfire occurred in early August, and was light to severe [24,25].

On September 30, 1977, immediately following the fire, two permanent
transects were established on a severely burned portion of the meadow.
Severely burned sites were differentiated by the extent to which the
organic layer was consumed; meadow surfaces were lower in the more
severely burned areas than in other areas, and ash depth exceeded 0.8
inch (2 cm) [24,25].

A lightning storm in early July 1977 ignited several fires in the
vicinity of Ellis Meadow.  These were allowed to burn, and fire reached
Ellis Meadow in early August.  By late summer, large contiguous areas of
the sedge-tallgrass community within Ellis Meadow had burned.  About 60
percent of the meadow had burned by the end of September, when autumn
precipitation extinguished the fire [24,25].

The fire smoldered where it was severe, spreading at a rate of less than
2 inches per minute (5 cm/min).  In these areas the fire burned nearly
all the organic layer, including subsurface and aboveground organic
matter.  Fire consumed some tufted hairgrass plants entirely by a
combination of surface and subsurface fire.  In some cases subsurface
fire combined with sporadic surface flare-ups, resulting in nearly
complete consumption of the root mass and organic matter in the surface
soil layer while leaving portions of the aboveground vegetation intact [24,25].

Ash depth where present ranged from 0.4 to 8 inches (1-20 cm), averaging
3.5 inches (9 cm).  Mean ash depths were significantly (p less than .05) greater
when charred vegetation remained at the surface in association with ash
than when only ash was present [24,25].

Where fire was of light to moderate severity, most of the dry
above-surface tufted hairgrass material and some of the green biomass
were burned.  However, subsurface fire was light or absent and ash depth
rarely exceeded 0.8 inch (2 cm).  A distinct pattern was observed on
hummocky microtopography.  Where fires were of low severity, fire was
largely confined to the troughs between hummocks.  Tufted hairgrass,
common on hummocks, was not seriously injured by these fires, and was
seldom observed to have suffered damage to the root crown even when the
tops were heavily burned [24,25].

Where fire was severe and smoldered for some time, both troughs and
hummocks were burned.  Here fire burned nearly all of the organic layer,
including tufted hairgrass subsurface and aboveground matter, and tufted
hairgrass was killed.  The surface of the meadow in these areas was
lowered between 4 and 10 inches (10-25 cm) relative to adjacent
vegetation.

During the final week of September or the first week of October each
year between 1978 and 1981 the two transects were sampled by measuring
the foliar cover of individual plant species [24,25].

Immediately after fire:  42.7 percent of all vegetation on the lengths
of the transects had been reduced to ash.  Ash segments on the transects
included prefire spaces between root crowns as well as individual plants
consumed entirely by a combination of surface and subsurface fire.  On
another 41.1 percent of the total transect lengths the root mass and
upper soil layer had been completely burned by subsurface fire, though
partially burned aboveground herbage remained.  These transect sections
corresponded to the prefire root crowns of sedges, rushes, and tufted
grasses of which tufted hairgrass was a dominant.  Only about 2.3
percent of the original vegetation survived on the lengths of the two
transects [24,25].

Postfire year 1:  Tufted hairgrass was widely distributed throughout the
severely burned portions of the meadow; it was generally more abundant
than in the measured transects.  Tufted hairgrass appeared to have
established from seeds and also reestablished vegetatively.  In less
severely burned areas tufted hairgrass aboveground biomass and cover
appeared comparable to that on unburned sites, even where tops had been
charred or removed by fire [24,25].

Tufted hairgrass percent cover on transects over the 4 years following
fire was as follows [24,25]:

                          Percent Cover

              1978        1979        1980        1981

               0.2        11.1        18.5        17.8

The lack of prefire vegetation data prevents precise comparison, but
tufted hairgrass cover on the most severely burned portions of Ellis
Meadow seemed to be succeeding toward that which had been characteristic
of the prefire state [24,25].

Tufted hairgrass root crowns in subalpine meadows generally survive all
but very severe fires.  Tufted hairgrass regenerates from the root
crowns and also from seed in the seedbank [24,25].
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bibliographic citation
Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Common Names

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
tufted hairgrass
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bibliographic citation
Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Conservation Status

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
More info for the term: natural

The South Dakota Natural Heritage Program has listed tufted hairgrass as
rare in South Dakota. It is known from a few sites in the Black Hills,
which are considered to be the edge of its natural range [51].
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cc-publicdomain
bibliographic citation
Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Cover Value

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
More info for the term: cover

Tufted hairgrass cover value is reported as follows [26]:

                            MT         UT         WY
 
     Upland game birds     poor       fair       fair 
     Waterfowl             good       fair       fair
     Small nongame birds   poor       fair       good
     Small mammals         poor       good       good
license
cc-publicdomain
bibliographic citation
Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Description

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
More info for the terms: caryopsis, cool-season, fruit

Tufted hairgrass is a densely cespitose [37,94] cool-season [90] native
perennial bunchgrass [26,70].  Culms are hollow [37], slender [29,89],
erect [63], and 8 to 48 inches (20-120 cm) in height [35,37,43,48].
Abundant leaves form basal tufts [74,84]; blades are 0.8 to 13 inches
(2-33 cm) [34] long and 0.04 to 0.16 inch (1-4 mm) wide [74,90].  The
inflorescence is generally a loose, open panicle [39,49], though
occasionally narrow and contracted [35,48,63]; it is 4 to 12 inches
(10-30 cm) long [37,39,67].  Branches are whorled [35,84], hairlike
[63,94], and spikelet-bearing near their tips [29,84].  Spikelets are
two- to occasionally three-flowered [37,48].  Lemmas are awned toward
the base [49,67,90].  The fruit is a caryopsis [37].

Tufted hairgrass root distribution was measured on the Beartooth Plateau
above Red Lodge, Montana.  In the 4 inch (10 cm) cores taken,
approximately 45 percent of root mass was in the upper 0.8 inch (2 cm)
of soil, with lower proportions in each succeeding 0.8 inch (2 cm) [99].
license
cc-publicdomain
bibliographic citation
Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Distribution

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
Tufted hairgrass has circumglobal distribution [43,48,56,74,100]; it is
found in moist arctic and temperate regions of the world [10,49].  It
occurs from Alaska to Greenland [49,56] and south in the western United
States into northern Mexico [50,100].  It is occasional in the Black
Hills and the northern Great Plains [63].  It occurs from Minnesota to
Maine and south to Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, and Georgia [90].  Tufted
hairgrass is native to North America [43], but some European populations
have been introduced [29].  Tufted hairgrass is cultivated in Hawaii
from European stock [105].
license
cc-publicdomain
bibliographic citation
Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Fire Ecology

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
More info for the terms: fire regime, root crown, seed

Tufted hairgrass generally survives all but the most severe fires [24].
It usually sprouts from the root crown after aerial portions are burned.
Tufts formed by the leaves [37] often protect basal buds from fire
damage.  Tufted hairgrass seeds occur in the seedbank [15]; after fire
tufted hairgrass may regenerate from soil-stored seed.

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".
license
cc-publicdomain
bibliographic citation
Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Growth Form (according to Raunkiær Life-form classification)

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More info on this topic.

More info for the term: hemicryptophyte

Hemicryptophyte
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Habitat characteristics

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More info for the terms: association, facultative wetland species, grassland, peat, tundra

Tufted hairgrass is common in grassland communities within its
circumglobal range.  In the Northern Hemisphere it occurs from sea level
to over 14,100 feet (4,300 m) elevation [10].  It is found in very moist
to saturated habitats at the margins of bogs and marshes and in sloughs,
moist areas along shores, drainage ditches, and moist draws, and in
moderately dry to very dry locations on slopes [34,43].  It is
frequently found on disturbed sites, especially at higher elevations and
moist habitats [10].

In Colorado tufted hairgrass grows best in moist habitats, wet meadows,
and bogs.  It often occurs in nearly pure stands in moist, favorable
sites.  It generally requires 20 inches (500 mm) of precipitation a year
[23].  On drier, less favorable sites it grows in open stands in
association with other plants [46].  In northwestern Montana tufted
hairgrass is a facultative wetland species [5].

Tufted hairgrass grows on a variety of soil types and textures.  It is
found on sandy loam [45,79,98], sandy clayey loam [6], silty loam [47],
loam [6,47,64,66], loamy clay [6,66], and clay [6].  Tufted hairgrass
growth is rated fair on sandy loam and good on loam and clayey loam
[26,43].  It is found on gravel in Alaska [95], Michigan [98], and Utah
[64].  It occurs on granitic material in Idaho [32] and Wyoming [53].
It is found on peat in British Columbia [96] and on calcareous seeps in
Illinois [88].  It grows on pumice in Oregon [97] and on volcanic soils
in Wyoming [53].

Tufted hairgrass is adapted to cool, acid locations [68] but it also
grows on somewhat alkaline soils [43,77].  It has been found on soils
varying from pH 3.3 on mine tailings in Ontario [43] to pH 8.4 in
central Idaho [77].  However, it generally grows best in soils with pH
5.2 to 5.5 [54].  Tufted hairgrass will tolerate some saline water
[48,71]; along the north-central Oregon coast, tufted hairgrass occurs
in high saltmarsh that is very occasionally flooded by salt water
during the summer growing season [31].  Some tufted hairgrass
populations are adapted to growing on spoils with elevated levels of
heavy metals [43].

In the western United States tufted hairgrass reaches its greatest
development at high elevations, where it becomes a nearly ubiquitous
floral component of most plant communities above treeline [10].  Tufted
hairgrass dominates moist areas of the alpine tundra of the Rocky
Mountains, where it occurs along soil moisture gradients from the middle
of lee slopes with early melting snowdrifts to the bottoms of lee slopes
with very wet meadows [34].

Tufted hairgrass is reported at the following elevations:

                       Feet             Meters

     Arizona       8,800- 9,500       2,680-2,900   [30,56]
     California         less than 12,800            less than 3,900   [45,48,67,74]
     Colorado      5,000-14,000       1,500-4,300   [26,46,47]
     Montana       2,500-10,000         800-3,000   [19,26,73,76]             
     Utah          4,500-12,500       1,400-3,800   [26,100]     
     Wyoming       4,000-12,000       1,200-3,700   [26,39]
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Habitat: Cover Types

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

     1  Jack pine
     5  Balsam fir
    12  Black spruce
    13  Black spruce-tamarack
    14  Northern pin oak
    15  Red pine
    16  Aspen
    18  Paper birch
    19  Gray birch-red maple
    20  White pine-northern red oak-red maple
    21  Eastern white pine
    22  White pine-hemlock
    23  Eastern hemlock
    24  Hemlock-yellow birch
    25  Sugar maple-beech-yellow birch
    26  Sugar maple-basswood
    27  Sugar maple
    30  Red spruce-yellow birch
    32  Red spruce
    33  Red spruce-balsam fir
    34  Red spruce-Fraser fir
    35  Paper birch-red spruce-balsam fir
    38  Tamarack
    39  Black ash-American elm-red maple
    52  White oak-black oak-northern red oak
    53  White oak
    55  Northern red oak
    57  Yellow-poplar
    58  Yellow-poplar-eastern hemlock
    59  Yellow-poplar-white oak-northern red oak
    60  Beech-sugar maple
    62  Silver maple-American elm
    63  Cottonwood
   201  White spruce
   202  White spruce-paper birch
   203  Balsam poplar
   204  Black spruce
   205  Mountain hemlock
   206  Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir
   207  Red fir
   208  Whitebark pine
   210  Interior Douglas-fir
   211  White fir
   212  Western larch
   213  Grand fir
   215  Western white pine
   216  Blue spruce
   217  Aspen
   218  Lodgepole pine
   219  Limber pine
   221  Red alder
   222  Black cottonwood-willow
   223  Sitka spruce
   224  Western hemlock
   225  Western hemlock-Sitka spruce
   226  Coastal true fir-hemlock
   227  Western redcedar-western hemlock
   228  Western redcedar
   229  Pacific Douglas-fir
   230  Douglas-fir-western hemlock
   231  Port-Orford-cedar
   232  Redwood
   233  Oregon white oak
   234  Douglas-fir-tanoak-Pacific madrone
   235  Cottonwood-willow
   237  Interior ponderosa pine
   239  Pinyon-juniper
   243  Sierra Nevada mixed conifer
   244  Pacific ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir
   245  Pacific ponderosa pine
   251  White spruce-aspen
   252  Paper birch
   253  Black spruce-white spruce
   254  Black spruce-paper birch
   256  California mixed subalpine
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Habitat: Ecosystem

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

More info for the term: shrub

   FRES10  White-red-jack pine
   FRES11  Spruce-fir
   FRES13  Loblolly-shortleaf pine
   FRES15  Oak-hickory
   FRES17  Elm-ash-cottonwood
   FRES18  Maple-beech-birch
   FRES19  Aspen-birch
   FRES20  Douglas-fir
   FRES21  Ponderosa pine
   FRES22  Western white pine
   FRES23  Fir-spruce
   FRES24  Hemlock-Sitka spruce
   FRES25  Larch
   FRES26  Lodgepole pine
   FRES27  Redwood
   FRES28  Western hardwoods
   FRES29  Sagebrush
   FRES30  Desert shrub
   FRES33  Southwestern shrubsteppe
   FRES34  Chaparral-mountain shrub
   FRES35  Pinyon-juniper
   FRES36  Mountain grasslands
   FRES37  Mountain meadows
   FRES38  Plains grasslands
   FRES39  Prairie
   FRES40  Desert grasslands
   FRES41  Wet grasslands
   FRES42  Annual grasslands
   FRES44  Alpine
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Habitat: Plant Associations

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the terms: forest, shrub, woodland

   K001  Spruce-cedar-hemlock forest
   K002  Cedar-hemlock-Douglas-fir forest
   K003  Silver fir-Douglas-fir forest
   K004  Fir-hemlock forest
   K005  Mixed conifer forest
   K006  Redwood forest
   K007  Red fir forest
   K008  Lodgepole pine-subalpine forest
   K010  Ponderosa shrub forest
   K011  Western ponderosa forest
   K012  Douglas-fir forest
   K013  Cedar-hemlock-pine forest
   K014  Grand fir-Douglas-fir forest
   K015  Western spruce-fir forest
   K016  Eastern ponderosa 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
   K022  Great Basin pine forest
   K023  Juniper-pinyon woodland
   K025  Alder-ash forest
   K026  Oregon oakwoods
   K028  Mosaic of K002 and K026
   K029  California mixed evergreen forest
   K035  Coastal sagebrush
   K037  Mountain-mahogany-oak scrub
   K038  Great Basin sagebrush
   K040  Saltbush-greasewood
   K047  Fescue-oatgrass
   K048  California steppe
   K051  Wheatgrass-bluegrass
   K052  Alpine meadows and barren
   K055  Sagebrush steppe
   K056  Wheatgrass-needlegrass shrubsteppe
   K058  Grama-tobosa shrubsteppe
   K063  Foothills prairie
   K064  Grama-needlegrass-wheatgrass
   K065  Grama-buffalograss
   K066  Wheatgrass-needlegrass
   K067  Wheatgrass-bluestem-needlegrass
   K070  Sandsage-bluestem prairie
   K081  Oak savanna
   K093  Great Lakes spruce-fir forest
   K095  Great Lakes pine forest
   K096  Northeastern spruce-fir forest
   K098  Northern floodplain forest
   K101  Elm-ash forest
   K102  Beech-maple forest
   K103  Mixed mesophytic forest
   K104  Appalachian oak forest
   K106  Northern hardwoods
   K107  Northern hardwoods-fir forest
   K108  Northern hardwoods-spruce forest
   K110  Northeastern oak-pine forest
   K111  Oak-hickory-pine forest
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Habitat: Rangeland Cover Types

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This species is known to occur in association with the following Rangeland Cover Types (as classified by the Society for Range Management, SRM):

More info for the terms: forb, grassland, shrub, shrubland, woodland

   102  Idaho fescue
   103  Green fescue
   109  Ponderosa pine shrubland
   110  Ponderosa pine-grassland
   203  Riparian woodland
   204  North coastal shrub
   209  Montane shrubland
   213  Alpine grassland
   214  Coastal prairie
   215  Valley grassland
   216  Montane meadows
   304  Idaho fescue-bluebunch wheatgrass
   305  Idaho fescue-Richardson needlegrass
   306  Idaho fescue-slender wheatgrass
   307  Idaho fescue-threadleaf sedge
   308  Idaho fescue-tufted hairgrass
   309  Idaho fescue-western wheatgrass
   311  Rough fescue-bluebunch wheatgrass
   312  Rough fescue-Idaho fescue
   313  Tufted hairgrass-sedge
   315  Big sagebrush-Idaho fescue
   316  Big sagebrush-rough fescue
   319  Bitterbrush-rough fescue
   323  Shrubby cinquefoil-rough fescue
   324  Threetip sagebrush-Idaho fescue
   409  Tall forb
   410  Alpine rangeland
   411  Aspen woodland
   412  Juniper-pinyon woodland
   413  Gambel oak
   418  Bigtooth maple
   422  Riparian
   501  Saltbush-greasewood
   504  Juniper-pinyon pine woodland
   505  Grama-tobosa shrub
   601  Bluestem prairie
   606  Wheatgrass-bluestem-needlegrass
   607  Wheatgrass-needlegrass
   608  Wheatgrass-grama-needlegrass
   611  Blue grama-buffalograss
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Immediate Effect of Fire

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More info for the term: low-severity fire

Tufted hairgrass culms and leaves are often killed by fire, though dense
tufts may protect some green biomass during low-severity fire.  Tufted
hairgrass root crowns usually survive all but the most severe fires [25].
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Importance to Livestock and Wildlife

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More info for the term: fresh

Tufted hairgrass provides good to excellent forage for all classes of
livestock [70,90].  It is often an abundant source of forage throughout
its growing season [100].  Tufted hairgrass is sometimes cut for hay on
native meadows [46,94].

In Arizona tufted hairgrass provides excellent forage in mountain
meadows [56].  In Colorado it produces an abundance of forage [46].  In
western Montana tufted hairgrass/sedge (Carex spp.) meadows are among
the best summer range for cattle [73].  In the western United States
tufted hairgrass is listed in the category of most desirable as
livestock forage in aspen (Populus spp.) forests [72].  In moist
habitats in California tufted hairgrass furnishes fresh succulent
grazing all summer [84].

In Wyoming tufted hairgrass/sedge alpine and subalpine communities are
the most extensive and most productive vegetation types for grazing by
domestic sheep and wildlife.  Tufted hairgrass is a preferred forage
species, consistently grazed by both sheep and wildlife [53].

Tufted hairgrass forage value for wildlife has been rated fair to good
[90].

Use of tufted hairgrass by wildlife species is variable.  Tufted
hairgrass is frequently grazed by bears [43].  Feral horses in the
foothills of western Alberta consume tufted hairgrass; in 1976, tufted
hairgrass constituted a maximum of 1.7 percent of fecal fragments in
November-December and a low of 0.8 percent in January-March.  Annual
average was 1.3 percent [83].  Sitka black-tailed deer in low-elevation,
old-growth stands of western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)-Sitka spruce
(Picea sitchensis) on Admiralty Island, Alaska, did not eat tufted
hairgrass from January to March.  They ate only trace amounts of tufted
hairgrass in April and June and none from July to September.  Mean
composition (dry weight) of tufted hairgrass was 1 percent of deer feces
from October to December [41].  Columbian black-tailed deer in southern
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, did not eat tufted hairgrass in a
sedge meadow community, even though it was very abundant [22].
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Key Plant Community Associations

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More info for the terms: cover, forest, grassland, mesic, shrubland, shrubs, xeric

Tufted hairgrass is an indicator or dominant species in the following
published classifications:

Ecology of wetlands in Big Meadows, Rocky Mountain National Park,
  Colorado [21]
Classification and management of Montana's riparian and wetland sites [42]
Grassland, shrubland, and forestland habitat types of the White
  River-Arapaho National Forest [47]
Habitat types on selected parts of the Gunnison and Uncompahgre National
  Forests [58]
Riparian zone associations: Deschutes, Ochoco, Fremont, and Winema
  National Forests [59]
Major indicator shrubs and herbs in riparian zones on National Forests
  of central Oregon [60]
Preliminary riparian community type classification for Nevada [66]
Riparian community type classification of Utah and southeastern Idaho [75]
A meadow site classification for the Sierra Nevada, California [79]
Riparian community type classification of eastern Idaho - western
  Wyoming [103]

In California tufted hairgrass was one of the original native perennial
grass dominants of the north coastal prairie, a discontinuous grassland.
Original associates included California oatgrass (Danthonia
californica), western fescue (Festuca occidentalis), Idaho fescue (F.
idahoensis), and Pacific reedgrass (Calamagrostis nutkaensis).  Tufted
hairgrass is still found in this area, although the original perennial,
mid-grass dominants have been replaced for the most part by annual
grasses such as wild oat (Avena fatua), slender oat (A. barbata), soft
chess (Bromus hordeaceus), ripgut brome (B. diandrus), red brome (B.
rubens), seaside barley (Hordeum maritimum), mouse barley (H.  murinum),
little barley (H. pusillum), and foxtail fescue (Vulpia myuros) [36].
In Mendocino and Sonoma counties, California, tufted hairgrass is
commonly a dominant of coastal terraces [44].

In mountainous terrain, tufted hairgrass usually occurs in open forests
or moist openings.  In California tufted hairgrass is found in the
Klamath Mountains, the northern Coast Ranges, and the Sierra Nevada in
meadows, glades, and open forests [13].  On the White River in the
Arapaho National Forest of Colorado, tufted hairgrass occurs below
timberline on high elevation meadows and subalpine valleys, and in
hydric sites in forest openings.  It also occurs above timberline on
mesic sites with moderate snow accumulation [47].  In alpine areas of
the Beartooth Plateau in south-central Montana, tufted hairgrass is a
dominant in meadow vegetation on well-drained sheltered uplands, lower
mesic slopes, and basins protected by snow cover that may persist until
mid-July.  Tufted hairgrass is the most conspicuous species in these
habitats and may occur in nearly pure stands with up to 44 percent cover
[54].

In the pumice deposition zone of central Oregon, meadows dominated by
tufted hairgrass support an extensive grass (Poaceae)-forb component on
the more xeric portion and an extensive sedge (Cyperaceae)-rush
(Juncaceae) component on more mesic sites [97].
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Life Form

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More info for the term: graminoid

Graminoid
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Management considerations

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More info for the terms: basal area, forbs, reclamation, seed, shrubs, succession

Tufted hairgrass is a decreaser with excessive grazing by cattle
[73,97,104].  However, it is tolerant of moderate amounts of fairly
close grazing [43,84] because of dense growth and tillering.  Grazing
practices should allow for ample seedset to maintain stands [94].

Tufted hairgrass is favored by moderate grazing in areas where shrubs
and other vegetation invade in the absence of grazing.  In Marin County,
California, tufted hairgrass bunchgrass terrain dominates on the grazed
side of a road; on the grazing-excluded side, coyotebrush (Baccharis
pilularis) and common velvetgrass (Holcus lanatus) have replaced tufted
hairgrass [27].

Long-term, intensive herbage removal is detrimental to tufted hairgrass
and reduces seed production.  Carbohydrate reserves become depleted
after sustained close grazing, resulting in declines in root length,
basal area, and leaf length.  Eventually stand composition shifts to
other species [97].  A clipping study of tufted hairgrass was conducted
in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California.  Tufted
hairgrass on treatment plots was given four clippings per growing season
for 4 years.  Control plots were clipped once in late September after
plant senescence.  In the fifth year no clipping was done.  Productivity
during the fifth year on the treatment plots was only 45 percent of that
on the control plots [87].

Tufted hairgrass is a key indicator of condition and grazing utilization
of mountain meadows in California [84].  In Wyoming tufted hairgrass is
a key representative of the desirable grass group in alpine and
subalpine areas and can be used as an indicator of the response of this
group to grazing.  The best-condition alpine and subalpine sedge/tufted
hairgrass communities have the highest proportion of tufted hairgrass
[53].

Seed properties of tufted hairgrass, including percent fill, viability,
and longevity, are variable among years.  It may be necessary to harvest
seeds 1 to several years prior to reclamation of a disturbed area in
order to obtain an adequate supply of viable seeds [14].

High seeding rates of tufted hairgrass may inhibit succession and the
establishment of greater species diversity.  If the objective of
revegetation is to provide immediate surface protection with long-term
successional development of a diverse community, then low seeding rates
are recommended [10].

Species composition and dominance in tufted hairgrass meadows are very
sensitive to fluctuations in the water table.  Lowering the water table
through channel cutting, poor road locations, or drought has changed
site potential and favored the expansion of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa
pratense) and perennial forbs in the central Oregon pumice zone.  Raised
water tables favor sedge and rush (Juncus spp.) dominance.  Livestock
grazing in late spring and early summer may result in severe soil
displacement and pedestalling of tufted hairgrass clumps on wet soils
[97].

 
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Nutritional Value

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More info for the term: seed

Tufted hairgrass energy value is fair; protein value is poor [26].

The following wildlife food values have been reported for tufted
hairgrass:

                            Montana     Utah     Wyoming

     Elk                      good*     good       good
     Mule deer                fair*     fair       fair
     White-tailed deer        fair*     ----       fair
     Pronghorn                fair*     poor       poor
     Upland game birds        fair*     fair       poor
     Waterfowl                good*     fair       fair
     Small nongame birds      poor*     fair       fair
     Small mammals            poor*     fair       fair

* Values reported in [5].  All other values reported in [26].

In vitro digestibility of tufted hairgrass cellulose was determined
for five growth stages:  leaf stage, heading, seed ripe, cured, and
weathered.  Cellulose content, percent digestibility of cellulose, and
calculated percent digestible protein for each growth stage were as
follows [3]:

                    Percent    Percent Cellulose       Percent
                   Cellulose     Digestibility    Digestible Protein

    Leaf Stage       30.0             44.6               5.0
    Heading          34.5             31.1               2.1
    Seed Ripe        33.9             25.7               1.6
    Cured            34.7             13.4               0.7
    Weathered        34.2              6.2               0.3

In southeastern Alaska, tufted hairgrass nutritive value was monitored
bimonthly (except March) for 1 year (1981) to assess seasonal changes in
chemical composition.  Reported percent dry weights were as follows [40]:

Percent        Jan 9     May 27       Aug 3      Sept 29      Nov 30

NDF*           70.7       54.9        56.5        78.2         85.3
ADF**          37.3       28.0        25.2        42.9         48.4
Cellulose      22.1       23.1        21.3        33.6         37.4
IVDMD***       29.7       44.9        40.7        22.6         10.8
Total Ash      14.3        5.0         6.0         4.8          3.4
Nitrogen        1.14       3.55        1.26        0.50         0.69     
Phosphorus      0.14       0.29        0.16        0.06         0.06
Potassium       0.60       2.27        1.76        0.44         0.24
Calcium         0.19       0.16        0.48        0.09         0.11

*    NDF:  Neutral Detergent Fiber    
**   ADF:  Acid Detergent Fiber
***  IVDMD:  In-Vitro Dry-Matter Digestibility (12 hour)
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Occurrence in North America

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     AK  AZ  CA  CO  CT  DE  GA  HI  ID  IL
     IA  ME  MD  MA  MI  MN  MT  NV  NH  NJ
     NM  NY  NC  ND  OH  OR  PA  RI  SD  UT
     VT  VA  WA  WV  WI  WY  AB  BC  MB  NB
     NF  NT  NS  ON  PE  PQ  SK  YT  MEXICO
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Palatability

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More info for the term: fresh

Tufted hairgrass provides palatable early spring through summer growth
[43].

In California cattle admitted to tufted hairgrass range before the
plants are mature readily consume it.  In moist areas the plant
continues to furnish fresh succulent grazing throughout the summer [84].

In Utah during the summer tufted hairgrass ranks good in palatability
for cattle and fair to good for sheep.  However, mature leaves are
grazed only slightly [94].

Tufted hairgrass forage palatability has been rated as follows [26]:

                         UT      CO      WY      MT     ND
         Cattle         good    good    good    good   good
         Sheep          fair    fair    good    fair   good
         Horses         good    good    good    good   good
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Phenology

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In alpine regions tufted hairgrass maintains green leaves throughout the
winter and begins growth very soon after snow release, when temperatures
at soil level are still near 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 deg C) [64].  In
Utah tufted hairgrass starts growth early in the spring and remains
green throughout the summer [94].

In Colorado tufted hairgrass phenological conditions at elevations
between 9,843 and 12,468 feet (3,000-3,800 m) were observed.  Older
tufted hairgrass leaves began developing autumn coloration about
September 15, 1968; 1 month later it was in winter condition.  Tufted
hairgrass had immature green leaves in winter; the new leaves developed
prior to the initiation of dormancy and remained at one-eighth to
one-fourth the length of mature leaves throughout the winter.  Through
the winter green leaf surfaces were protected by a covering of dead but
undeteriorated leaves from the previous summer.  In the spring no
observable leaf elongation occurred until about 10 days after snow
release [1].

In alpine regions tufted hairgrass reaches maximum flowering
approximately 3 weeks after the initiation of growth [64].  Tufted
hairgrass flowering times are:

          Arizona           June-September  [56]
          California        May-August      [74]
          Colorado          July-September  [26]
          Illinois          June-July       [69]
          Montana           June-September  [26]
          North Carolina    June-July       [78,102]
          Virginia          June-July       [102]
          West Virginia     June-July       [89]
          Wyoming           July-September  [26]
          Great Plains      June-August     [37,63]          
          Northeastern US   May-August      [29]
          Southeastern
            Canada          May-August      [29]

In alpine regions tufted hairgrass seed matures 7 to 8 weeks after
initiation of leaf growth in the spring [64].
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Plant Response to Fire

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Within just a few years tufted hairgrass usually recovers to prefire
levels [25].

In the Medicine Bow Mountains of Wyoming, tufted hairgrass occurs in wet
or dry subalpine meadows that were produced when forests were burned in
1871.  Above 9,800 feet (3,000 m) elevation burned areas remain open for
50 to 100 years after stand-replacing fire.  After a century or more,
the drier meadows usually are covered by young spruce (Picea)-fir
(Abies) forests and tufted hairgrass declines.  However, tufted
hairgrass in wet meadows above 9,800 feet (3,000 m) may remain dominant
for centuries [4].

In the same area, tufted hairgrass is a component of successional tundra
meadow that developed following a severe 1809 crown fire in ribbon
forest [4].
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Post-fire Regeneration

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More info for the terms: graminoid, ground residual colonizer, tussock

   Tussock graminoid
   Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Regeneration Processes

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Tufted hairgrass reproduces by seed [43,70,90].

Tufted hairgrass is self-incompatible.  Seeds of tufted hairgrass can be
dormant and persist in the seedbank [34].  Germination is enhanced by
light and by cold storage.  Tufted hairgrass seeds were collected in
September 1983 on the Beartooth Plateau, Montana; filled seeds had 81
percent viability.  Tufted hairgrass seeds were given 90 days of dry
cold storage or wet cold storage in light or dark conditions.  Day
temperatures were 64 degrees Fahrenheit (18 deg C) for 14 hours and
night temperatures were 39 degrees Fahrenheit (4 deg C) for 10 hours.
Over 30 days from beginning of treatment, tufted hairgrass seeds showed
the following accumulated germination response [17]:

                             Percent Germination        
 
                            Light            Dark

     Dry Cold Storage        95               64
     Wet Cold Storage        63               46

Tufted hairgrass germination response was significantly (p less than .001) better
in light than in dark conditions, and also in dry cold than in wet cold
storage conditions.  Light increased total percent seed germination more
than did cold storage [17].

Tufted hairgrass seeds collected in 1983 on the Beartooth Plateau showed
a decrease in viability from 80 percent at the time of collection to 35
percent 3 years later [18].  Viability of filled tufted hairgrass seeds
produced in different years on the Beartooth Plateau was significantly
(p less than .001) variable.  About 40 percent of seeds collected in 1986 were
filled; almost 100 percent were filled in 1983.  Viability of filled
tufted hairgrass seeds varied from about 1 percent in 1984 to about 80
percent in 1983.  This variation is attributed to the severe and
unpredictable nature of the alpine environment [14].

In the Richardson Mountains on the Yukon Territory-Northwest Territories
border, tufted hairgrass plants produced no seed the year of planting
but did so during their second year [93].
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Regional Distribution in the Western United States

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This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

    1  Northern Pacific Border
    2  Cascade Mountains
    3  Southern Pacific Border
    4  Sierra Mountains
    5  Columbia Plateau
    6  Upper Basin and Range
    7  Lower Basin and Range
    8  Northern Rocky Mountains
    9  Middle Rocky Mountains
   10  Wyoming Basin
   11  Southern Rocky Mountains
   12  Colorado Plateau
   13  Rocky Mountain Piedmont
   15  Black Hills Uplift
   16  Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Successional Status

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More info for the terms: climax, forest, grassland, mesic, shrub, succession, tree, tundra

Tufted hairgrass can occur as a colonizer [10] and as a component or
dominant of successional [16] and climax vegetation [81].  It is rarely
found in dense shade [94].

Tufted hairgrass can be an aggressive colonizer on disturbed sites,
particularly in alpine and subalpine regions [10].  In south-central
Montana tufted hairgrass is a colonizer on the Beartooth Plateau, where
there are nearly 200 known alpine vascular plant species.  Tufted
hairgrass is one of fewer than 5 percent of these species that can be
found on virtually all disturbances of more than a few years of age
[7,15].

Tufted hairgrass occurs naturally on both early and late successional
alpine sites [16].  In Alaska on the north slope of the Alaska Range,
tufted hairgrass occurs on gravel terraces in the meadow stage, but does
not occur in the earlier pioneer stage or in later shrub and tree stages
[95].  In the Medicine Bow Mountains of Wyoming, tufted hairgrass occurs
in successional tundra meadow in ribbon forest and in successional
snow-glade vegetation [4].  In the Great Basin of Nevada, tufted
hairgrass is an early seral species that can continue to occupy sites
indefinitely given relatively stable site conditions [66].  In the
alpine zone of the Uinta Mountains, Utah, tufted hairgrass is middle and
late successional in hydrarch succession where alpine glacial lakes have
been or are in the process of being filled with sediment and plant
remains.  Tufted hairgrass is an associate but is not dominant in the
drier climax sedge-grass communities [64].

Tufted hairgrass occurs in climax vegetation.  In northwestern Colorado
it is a dominant in climax communities of wet to mesic subalpine and
alpine zones [47].  In the Medicine Bow Mountains of Wyoming, tufted
hairgrass is a component of climax snow-glade vegetation [4]. In
glaciated plains, foothills, and mountains of western Montana, tufted
hairgrass is a dominant in the climax vegetation of subirrigated and
wetland range sites.  It is also a dominant in alpine grassland climax
vegetation on deep to moderately deep, well drained to poorly drained
soils; these grasslands occur on sloping to steep windswept mountain
tops above timberline [81].

Tufted hairgrass is not generally a part of the understory of wooded
areas [10] or of forests [4].  In Yellowstone National Park tufted
hairgrass occurs in mesic subalpine meadows.  Lodgepole pine (Pinus
contorta var. latifolia) has been progressively invading the borders of
these meadows (for at least 125 years) in the absence of fire.  Tufted
hairgrass generally decreased along transects at the edge of meadows as
the size and age of lodgepole pine increased [52].
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Synonyms

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Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) Beauv. [36,49,90]
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Taxonomy

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The currently accepted scientific name of tufted hairgrass is
Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) Beauv. [35,37,48,50,100]. It is in the
family Poaceae.

Currently accepted infrataxa are as follows [55]:

Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. alpina (L.) Tzvelev (alpine tufted hairgrass)
Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. beringensis (Hulten) W. E. Lawrence (Bering's tufted hairgrass)
Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. bottonia (Wahl.) Vasey (tufted hairgrass)
Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. brevifolia (R. Br.) Tzvelev (Bering hairgrass)
Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. cespitosa (L.) Beauv. (tufted hairgrass)
Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. glauca (Hartman) Hartman (tufted hairgrass)
Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. holciformis (J. Presl) W. E. Lawrence (Pacific hairgrass)
Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. orientalis Hulten (oriental hairgrass)
Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. paramushirensis (Honda) Tzvelev (tufted hairgrass)
Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. parviflora (Thuill.) Jarmolenko & Soo (tufted hairgrass)
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Walsh, Roberta A. 1995. Deschampsia cespitosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Value for rehabilitation of disturbed sites

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More info for the terms: cover, forest, mesic, natural, seed, selection

Tufted hairgrass has a broad ecological range and is useful for
revegetation, particularly on disturbances at high elevation or high
latitude [10].  Tufted hairgrass occurs on acidic or pyritic mine spoils
at high elevations throughout the western United States [10].  It grows
at a medium rate compared to other grasses used at these sites; it has a
poor rate of spread.  Tufted hairgrass has good competitive ability
compared to other plants evaluated for high latitude revegetation [43].
It has low to medium potential for short-term revegetation; it has
medium to high potential for long-term revegetation [26].  It is a
valuable soil stabilizer [43,48], especially in wet, acid locations
[43].

Tufted hairgrass has been successfully established by seeding on alpine
disturbances.  Seeds from locally adapted populations have been most
successful [8,9].  For disturbances on well-developed soils that contain
minimum amounts of toxic substances, seeds can be selected from a broad
range of relatively well-adapted populations.  On sites with limiting
spoil characteristics, selection from metal and/or acid tolerant
populations is more successful.  Some tufted hairgrass populations are
highly tolerant of lead, zinc, copper, or manganese contaminated
tailings [43].  Late fall seeding is most successful; seedling
establishment is improved if seeds are exposed to cold dormancy over
winter [10,17].

Although tufted hairgrass is typically associated with mesic meadows,
the U.S. Forest Service has had success revegetating dry, windblown,
disturbed sites at high elevations using ecotypes from similar habitats
[100].  On sites with severely limiting edaphic factors, a high tufted
hairgrass seeding rate, ameliorative soil treatment, and fertilization
may be necessary for tufted hairgrass establishment [10].  Tufted
hairgrass responds to nitrogen inputs, but has good growth rates over a
broad range of nitrogen and phosphorus availability [8,9].

Tufted hairgrass can be established by transplanting soil plugs or sod
in which it is established.  In Nevada in the Lake Tahoe Basin, tufted
hairgrass seeds and vegetation were part of wetland plugs which were cut
from a mature wet meadow, allowed to grow out, recut, and successfully
transplanted [38].  Tufted hairgrass plugs were planted on spoils of an
open-pit copper, gold, and silver mine at 9,800 feet (3,000 m) elevation
in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana.  Tufted hairgrass survival after
1 year was 72 percent [11].  At the site of a backfilled gas pipeline
trench at Rollins Pass, Colorado, tufted hairgrass sod was removed
during plant dormancy, stored for 2 weeks during construction, and
replaced.  Tufted hairgrass sod recovery after 18 years was excellent;
it was the most successful of the native sods used [12].

In the Rocky Mountain foothills of west-central Alberta, tufted
hairgrass naturally colonized spoils of abandoned coal mines [82].  In
the Sudbury, Ontario, mining and smelting region north of Lake Huron,
tufted hairgrass invaded moist sites on barrens following smelter
closure.  The barren lands had been subject to logging, fire, soil
erosion, enhanced frost action, sulfur dioxide fumigation, and copper,
nickel, and iron particulate fallout [101].

Tufted hairgrass is suitable for boreal revegetation work [93].  In the
Richardson Mountains on the Yukon Territory-Northwest Territories
border, tufted hairgrass seed from a northern collection was planted in
early June 1979, along with 21 other grass seed selections.  At the time
of seeding there was no vegetative cover on the shale borrow pit
material.  Tufted hairgrass was one of the five most successful
selections.  It emerged in 77 percent of microsites in 1979.  By 1985,
tufted hairgrass had increased through natural reseeding and occupied
100 percent of microsites; from the original 3.3 feet (1 m) between
microsites it had spread until it approached a solid stand.  By 1985,
100 percent of extant tufted hairgrass plants were producing seed [93].
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Deschampsia cespitosa

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Deschampsia cespitosa, commonly known as tufted hairgrass or tussock grass,[1] is a perennial tufted plant in the grass family Poaceae.[2] Distribution of this species is widespread including the eastern and western coasts of North America, parts of South America, Eurasia and Australia.

The species is cultivated as an ornamental garden plant, and numerous cultivars are available. The cultivars 'Goldschleier' and 'Goldtau' [3] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[4][5]

It is a larval host to the Juba skipper and the umber skipper.[6]

Description

A distinguishing feature is the upper surface of the leaf blade which feels rough and can cut in one direction, but is smooth in the opposite direction. The dark green upper sides of the leaves are deeply grooved.

It can grow to 4.5 ft (1.4 m) tall, and has a long, narrow, pointed ligule.[7] It flowers from June until August.

It can be found on all types of grassland, although it prefers poorly drained soil. It forms a major component of the British NVC community MG9 - Holcus lanatus to Deschampsia cespitosa mesotrophic grasslands. It can exist up to altitudes of 4000 ft.[8] Typical native grass associates in the western North American coastal prairies, such as the California coastal prairie, are Festuca californica, Festuca idahoensis, Danthonia californica, and Nassella pulchra.

Subspecies

  • Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. cespitosa (synonyms: Deschampsia bottnica (Wahlenb.) Trin.; Deschampsia littoralis (Gaudin) Reut.)[9]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ "Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P.Beauv. record n° 50145". African Plants Database. South African National Biodiversity Institute, the Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève and Tela Botanica. Archived from the original on 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  2. ^ Jepson Manual. 1993
  3. ^ "Deschampsia cespitosa 'Goldtau'". RHS. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  4. ^ "RHS Plantfinder - Deschampsia cespitosa 'Goldschleier'". Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  5. ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 16. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  6. ^ The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.
  7. ^ "Identification Resources", BSBI Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine Identification Resources website
  8. ^ Grasses by C E Hubbard, 1978, published by Penguin books
  9. ^ "Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. cespitosa | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 1 February 2021.

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Deschampsia cespitosa: Brief Summary

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Deschampsia cespitosa, commonly known as tufted hairgrass or tussock grass, is a perennial tufted plant in the grass family Poaceae. Distribution of this species is widespread including the eastern and western coasts of North America, parts of South America, Eurasia and Australia.

The species is cultivated as an ornamental garden plant, and numerous cultivars are available. The cultivars 'Goldschleier' and 'Goldtau' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

It is a larval host to the Juba skipper and the umber skipper.

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