Page authors: Don Knoke, David Giblin
Vahlodea atropurpurea
mountain hairgrass
Specimens
Photos

Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, east across Canada to the Atlantic Coast.

Habitat: Mountain meadows, streambanks, and lake margins to alpine ridges.

Flowers: June-August

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Wind

Description:
General:

Strongly tufted perennial 1.5-6 dm. tall, the culms hollow.

Leaves:

Sheaths open; ligules obtuse to truncate, pubescent, 1.5-3.5 mm. long; leaves flat, deep green, 4-6 mm. wide, the tips prow-like.

Flowers:

Inflorescence an open panicle 5-10 cm. long; spikelets usually 2-flowered, purplish-tinged; articulation above the glumes; glumes subequal, elliptic in outline, about 5 mm. long, acute, the first 1-nerved, the second 3-nerved, exceeding the upper floret; lemmas obscurely 3-nerved, erose, about 2.5 mm. long, the hairs on the callus about half as long; lemma awned from just above mid-length, the awn stout and twisted, about 2.5 mm. long.

Fruits:

Utricle

Accepted Name:
Vahlodea atropurpurea (Wahlenb.) Fr. ex Hartm.
Publication: Handb. Skand. Fl. (ed. 4) 30. 1843.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
Aira atropurpurea Wahlenb.
Deschampsia atropurpurea (Wahlenb.) Scheele [HC]
Deschampsia atropurpurea (Wahlenb.) Scheele var. latifolia (Hook.) Scribn. ex Macoun [HC]
Deschampsia atropurpurea (Wahlenb.) Scheele var. paramushirensis Kudô
Deschampsia atropurpurea (Wahlenb.) Scheele var. payettii Lepage
Deschampsia pacifica Tatew. & Ohwi
Vahlodea atropurpurea (Wahlenb.) Fr. ex Hartm. ssp. latifolia (Hook.) A.E. Porsild
Vahlodea atropurpurea (Wahlenb.) Fr. ex Hartm. ssp. paramushirensis (Kudô) Hultén
Vahlodea flexuosa (Honda ex Nakai) Ohwi
Vahlodea latifolia (Hook.) Hultén
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Vahlodea atropurpurea in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database

WA Flora Checklist: Vahlodea atropurpurea checklist entry

OregonFlora: Vahlodea atropurpurea information

E-Flora BC: Vahlodea atropurpurea atlas page

CalPhotos: Vahlodea atropurpurea photos

12 photographs:
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