Canada bluejoint
Calamagrostis canadensis
Synonyms: Calamagrostis agrostoides, Calamagrostis canadensis subsp. acuminata, Calamagrostis canadensis var. macouniana, Arundo agrostoides, Calamagrostis canadensis var. imberbis, Calamagrostis canadensis var. acuminata, Calamagrostis scribneri var. imberbis, Calamagrostis oregonensis, Calamagrostis macouniana, Deyeuxia lactea, Deyeuxia canadensis, Calamagrostis lactea, Calamagrostis langsdorffii var. acuminata, Deyeuxia pallida, Calamagrostis columbiensis, Calamagrostis langsdorffii var. scribneri, Calamagrostis langsdorffii var. lactea, Calamagrostis canadensis var. robusta, Calamagrostis langsdorfii var. scribneri, Deyeuxia preslii, Deyeuxia confinis, Calamagrostis canadensis var. campestris, Calamagrostis canadensis var. dubia, Calamagrostis confinis, Arundo cinnoides, Calamagrostis canadensis var. pallida, Arundo fissa, Calamagrostis canadensis var. lactea, Calamagrostis canadensis var. dorei, Arundo conoides, Calamagrostis hirtigluma, Calamagrostis cinnoides, Calamagrostis blanda, Calamagrostis alaskana, Calamagrostis nubila, Calamagrostis atropurpurea, Calamagrostis scribneri, Arundo confinis, Deyeuxia dubia, Deyeuxia macouniana, Calamagrostis langsdorffii var. marylandica, Calamagrostis sitchensis, Calamagrostis michauxii, Calamagrostis neglecta var. confinis, Calamagrostis scabra, Calamagrostis canadensis var. scabra, Calamagrostis langsdorfii var. lactea, Cinna purshii
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Botanical Description
Calamagrostis canadensis, Canada bluejoint or marsh reedgrass, is a tall, robust perennial grass in the family Poaceae with a broad circumboreal range across northern North America and northeastern Asia. It forms loose to dense stands in wet meadows, marshes, fens, alder thickets, stream banks, and disturbed boreal openings, often becoming dominant after fire or logging. Plants grow 0.6–1.5 m tall from creeping, scaly rhizomes, producing erect, smooth culms with three to six nodes. The leaf blades are flat, 4–8 mm wide, 15–30 cm long, scabrous, dull green to slightly glaucous, with prominent membranous ligules 4–8 mm long that are themselves often torn. The inflorescence is a soft, narrow to loosely open, nodding panicle 8–20 cm long, ranging from pale green to distinctly purplish at maturity. Spikelets are one-flowered, about 3–4 mm long, with a tuft of long silky hairs at the base of the floret roughly equal to the lemma in length, giving the panicle a feathery appearance.
Cultural & Historical Context
Traditional American Uses
Woodlands Cree used Canada bluejoint as a material plant rather than a medicine: the dried grass served as mattress filling when no other bedding was available and was used to line and cover winter storage pits for potatoes (Leighton, 1985).
Chemistry & External Identifiers
Important Disclaimer
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.