Chee reedgrass (Calamagrostis epigeios)

Synonyms: Arundo epigejos, Calamagrostis epigejos

Common Names: Bushgrass, wood small-reed, feathertop, feathertop reed grass

Description:

Chee reedgrass (Calamagrostis epigeios) is a tall perennial grass from Europe, Africa, and Asia that has been introduced to North America [1][2]. It spreads by creeping underground stems into dense stands topped with feathery, plume-like seed heads [2][4]. MISIN tracks it because it can crowd out other plants and lower plant diversity where it takes hold, and it is still uncommon enough in the region that catching it early matters [4].

Habit:

Chee reedgrass is a tall grass that grows in tight clusters of upright stems, commonly around 3 feet (about 0.9 m) high and sometimes taller, and it creeps outward by underground stems to form dense patches [2][4]. The leaf blades are narrow, flat, and hairless [2]. Its most recognizable feature is the flower head: a tall, dense, branched cluster (panicle) about 6 to 14 inches long that looks soft, feathery, and plume-like [2]. That fluffy look comes from fine silky hairs at the base of each tiny one-flowered spikelet [2].

It is easiest to spot from mid-summer into fall, when the feathery seed heads stand above the surrounding plants [2]. The plumes start greenish or purplish and dry to a pale tan, and the dead stems and heads often persist through winter, making the dense patches easy to pick out in disturbed, open ground [2]. The narrow leaves and tight, upright clumps are the things to look for earlier in the season [2].

At-a-glance cues:

1. Tall, dense, feathery plume-like seed head (panicle) about 6 to 14 inches long [2]
2. Fine silky hairs at the base of each tiny one-flowered spikelet give the plume its fluffy look [2]
3. Narrow, flat, hairless leaf blades on upright stems growing in tight clusters [2]
4. Forms dense patches that spread outward by underground stems [2][4]

Leaves:

1. Arrangement: blades along upright stems, with hairless sheaths wrapping the stem [2]
2. Shape: narrow and flat [2]
3. Surface: hairless (no hairs on the blade or sheath) [2]
4. Size: blades about 2.5 to 13 mm wide; the ligule is a thin membrane up to about 13 mm long [2]

Stems:

1. Habit: herbaceous (non-woody) perennial, with upright stems growing in tight clusters or tufts; commonly about 3 feet (0.9 m) tall [2][4]
2. Spread: creeps outward by rhizomes (horizontal underground stems), forming dense patches [2][4]

Flowers:

1. Color: greenish to purplish, drying to pale tan [2]
2. Shape: many tiny one-flowered spikelets (4 to 8 mm), each with fine silky hairs at the base and a small awn ? no showy petals, as is typical of grasses [2]
3. Arrangement: a tall, dense, branched, feathery flower head (panicle) about 6 to 14 inches long [2]
4. Bloom time: summer, with the plume-like seed heads persisting into fall and winter [2]

Fruit and seeds:

1. Fruit type: a tiny dry grain held in the silky-haired spikelet (the grass seed) [2]
2. Dispersal: the small seeds carry on the wind, helped by their silky hairs, and ride on equipment and in soil; the plant also spreads steadily by underground stems [2][4]

Habitat:

Chee reedgrass is native to Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia [1][2]. It has been introduced to North America, along with South America and Australia, and is scattered across parts of the United States and Canada [2][3].

It is a plant of open, sunny, disturbed ground. Look for it in meadows and fields, on roadsides, and on bare or disturbed soil [2]. It tolerates a range of soils, from sandy and gravelly to moist ground, and readily colonizes places that have been cleared, graded, or otherwise disturbed [2][4].

Reproduction:

Chee reedgrass spreads in two ways. It produces large numbers of tiny seeds carried on fine silky hairs, so they blow easily on the wind and also travel on equipment and in moved soil [2]. More importantly, it creeps outward by rhizomes ? horizontal underground stems ? sending up new shoots as it advances, so a patch widens steadily on its own and can push in from neighboring ground [2][4].

It is a perennial that comes back from its underground stems each year, flowering in summer and releasing seed from late summer into fall [2]. The plant advances as a dense front of connected shoots, which lets it move into and take over an area rather than appearing as scattered plants [4]. For control timing, the key is to act before the feathery seed heads dry and release seed in late summer, and to remove the underground stems when digging out a patch [2][4].

Impact and Damage:

For homeowners, chee reedgrass is mainly a problem because it is hard to contain. It is not toxic to people or pets, but once it is on a property it spreads by underground stems into dense patches that are difficult to remove and that crowd out other plants [2][4].

For natural area stewards, the concern is its ability to form dense, single-species stands. As chee reedgrass expands, it advances as a thick front that takes over the ground and pushes out other plants [4]. In studied meadows, its cover rose from about half the ground to more than 90 percent in advanced stands, and plant diversity fell sharply as it came to dominate [4]. In North America it is still scattered rather than widespread, so it is treated as an early-detection target ? the goal is to find and remove new patches before they build into the kind of dense stands seen where it is well established [3][4].

Similar species:

Several tall grasses with feathery seed heads are mistaken for chee reedgrass. The surest checks are its dense, plume-like flower head and the fine silky hairs at the base of each tiny one-flowered spikelet [2].

Bluejoint (Calamagrostis canadensis) is a closely related native reedgrass of similar size. Its flower head is looser and more open than the tight, dense plume of chee reedgrass, and it is a plant of wet meadows and shores rather than dry, disturbed ground [2].

Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) is another tall invasive grass with a plume-like head that often grows in the same kind of disturbed, moist areas. It has wider leaf blades and a denser, more compact seed head that lacks the long silky base hairs of chee reedgrass [2].

Feather reed grass (Calamagrostis ? acutiflora) is a popular garden grass ? including the cultivar "Karl Foerster" ? that is a hybrid involving chee reedgrass. It is planted as a tidy, upright ornamental clump and is nearly sterile, so unlike chee reedgrass it does not spread aggressively from seed [1].

Monitoring and rapid response:

Signs to watch for:

1. Tall grass in tight, upright clumps on open, disturbed ground ? meadows, roadsides, graded or bare soil [2]
2. Dense, feathery, plume-like seed heads from mid-summer into fall, greenish-purple drying to tan [2]
3. Patches that widen outward over time as the plant creeps by underground stems [2][4]

What you can do:

1. Dig out small patches by hand, removing as much of the underground stems as possible, since the plant resprouts from rhizome pieces left behind [2][4]
2. Cut or pull the seed heads before they dry and release wind-blown seed in late summer, and bag them [2]
3. Check the spot again over the following seasons, because rhizomes left in the soil send up new shoots [4]
4. Avoid leaving bare, disturbed soil ? chee reedgrass readily colonizes it, so replant cleared ground with desirable plants [2][4]
5. For natural areas, volunteer crews should find and remove small outlying patches early, before they build into dense stands, and return over several seasons to exhaust the underground stems [3][4]

When to call a professional:

1. Large or well-established stands that keep resprouting from underground stems after repeated digging [4]
2. Infestations in sensitive wetlands or natural areas that need a coordinated, multi-season plan [4]
3. For chemical control options, contact a licensed applicator or your local cooperative extension office.

Report sightings to MISIN. Help track this species' spread by submitting observations through the MISIN web site or the MISIN mobile app (Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS). Photos at multiple angles paired with a precise GPS location are the most valuable data for confirming new occurrences and triggering rapid-response review.

Credits:

1. Plants of the World Online (POWO), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Calamagrostis epigejos (L.) Roth. powo.science.kew.org
2. Native Plant Trust, Go Botany. Calamagrostis epigejos (feathertop reed grass). gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org
3. USDA NRCS Plants Database. Calamagrostis epigejos (L.) Roth. plants.usda.gov
4. Pruchniewicz D, Zolnierz L (2022). "Spatial Aggregation and Biometric Variability of the Grass Calamagrostis epigejos (L.) Roth during Different Expansion Stages in Mesic Mountain Meadows." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19(13):7903. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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