Blue Joint Grass - Calamagrostis canadensis

Calamagrostis canadensis or Blue Joint Grass is a perennial grass native to Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. Height varies depending on site conditions from 2 to 5 feet. The preference is for full sun to part shade and moist to wet soil. Drought tolerant once established but can also tolerate seasonal flooding. Not particular about soil types; it will grow in loam, clay, silt, or sand and doesn’t mind acidic conditions and moderate salt exposure. It even thrives on sites contaminated by oil spills, and with its ability to spread by both seed and rhizome, can be used for erosion control and site remediation.

Blue Joint Grass can be found on river and stream banks; shorelines; swales and ditches, including along railroads; marshes and bogs; wet prairies and meadows; thickets and occasionally in upland lightly forested settings near Lake Superior. It is often dense, but can grow with Shining Aster and Fireweed to add pollinator diversity. I would also recommend Flat-topped Aster, Rose Milkweed, Tuckerman’s Sedge, and Blue Vervain as companions.

This plant prefers to make a colony, so it is not recommended for gardens, but it can lay down a vegetative mat that inhibits other plants, including trees, so it may be effective in fighting invasive species. It is also used in stream bank stabilization, and colonies are long-lived. Browsed sometimes by deer, but is not a favorite. Provides nesting habitat for many wetland birds and good cover for small mammals, snakes, birds, and other wildlife. Bonus: it makes an attractive, lush mass of soft-looking foliage. Add it to a ditch or wet area to help hold space for native species.

Sources:

Michigan Flora

Minnesota Wildflowers

Illinois Wildflowers

USDA Fire Effects Information System