Calamagrostis purpurea, (Trin.) Trin.

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1980, Flora Europaea. Volume 5. Alismataceae to Orchidaceae (Monocotyledones), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press : 238

5. C. purpurea (Trin.) Trin. , Gram. Unifl. 219 (1824).

Laxly caespitose, rhizomatous; stems 50-200 cm, rather slender to stout, with (4-)6-8 nodes, often branched. Leaves 3-12 mm wide, flat or sometimes convolute, the upper surface glabrous or weakly scabrid, with rather prominent veins; ligule (4-)6-10 mm. Panicle 5-35 cm, nodding at maturity, often rather dense; branches scabrid to aculeolate. Spikelets 2-5-8 mm, greyish to violet-brown. Glumes subequal, ovate-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate-acuminate, scabrid. Lemma 5-veined, notched at apex; awn arising from back of lemma, rarely from apex, exceeding or equalling lemma. Callus-hairs atleast as long as lemma. Rhachilla sometimes prolonged. Anthers yellow, without pollen; thecae not separating at maturity. 2« = 28, 56-91. Marshes and fens. N.C. & E. Europe, southwards to N. Switzerland and S. C. Russia, and extending westwards to E. Belgium. Be Cz Fe Ga Ge He No?Po Rs (N, B, C) Su.

A complex of apomicts which has arisen from the amphimictic species 4 by autopolyploidy or by hybridization with other species, notably 1. Morphologically, plants belongingto this complex are extremely variable and theirtreatment by different authors has varied correspondingly. Although there are intermediates, the following seem to represent the best-delimited series of taxa, which have sometimes been recognized as species, sometimes as subspecies and sometimes as varieties of a single species.

Theexact distribution of some subspecies in this group is very imperfectly known. 1 Callus-hairs distinctly longer than lemma; glumes weakly scabrid; rhachilla scarcely prolonged

2 Glumes 6-8mm, narrowly lanceolate-acuminate; awn arising from notch at apex of lemma

(d) subsp. pseudopurpurea 2 Glumes 4-6(-7)mm, broadly lanceolate-acuminate; awn arising from back of lemma (b) subsp. phragmitoides 1 Callus-hairs about as long as lemma; glumes strongly scabrid; rhachilla distinctly prolonged

3 Plant slender; glumes ovate-lanceolate, violet; leaves green

(a) subsp. purpurea 3 Plant robust; glumeslanceolate,greenish; leavesglaucous

(c) subsp. langsdorfii