Prairie Sandreed Plant Guide - Plant Materials Program

PRAIRIE SANDREED 

Calamovilfa longifolia (Hook.) 

Scribn. 

Plant Symbol = CALO 

Contributed by: USDA NRCS Bismarck, North 

Dakota and Manhattan, Kansas Plant Materials 

Centers 

Plant Guide 

while available carbohydrates increase from 45 

percent in May to 55 percent in November (Craig, 

2002). Prairie sandreed is usually considered a 

decreaser with grazing pressure, but will initially 

increase under heavy grazing use, especially if 

growing within a big bluestem/sand bluestem plant 

community. Prairie sandreed generally is seeded as a 

component of a native mix for range seeding on 

sandy sites. 

Wildlife Value: Prairie sandreed provides fair forage 

for grazing and browsing wildlife in early spring and 

summer. The plant becomes more important in late 

fall and winter as the plant cures well on the stem and 

provides upright and accessible forage. Seed is used 

by songbirds and small rodents. 

Erosion Control: The rhizomatous growth habit and 

extensive fibrous root system of prairie sandreed 

makes it an excellent species for stabilization of 

sandy sites. On the shores of the Great Lakes it 

provides wind erosion control, dune stabilization, and 

water quality improvement. 

Status 

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State 

Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s 

current status (e.g., threatened or endangered species, 

state noxious status, and wetland indicator values). 

© Mike Haddock Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses 

Alternate Names 

sand reed, prairie sandgrass, big sandgrass 

Uses 

Grazing/rangeland/hayland: Prairie sandreed is a 

native, sod forming, warm season grass commonly 

found on sandy rangeland sites throughout the 

Central and Northern Plains and Great Lakes Region. 

This grass is recognized as a key species in grazing 

programs because of its abundance, yield potential 

and distribution of herbage production during the 

growing season. Prairie sandreed begins growth 

earlier in the spring than most warm season perennial 

grasses, thus its herbage is available for livestock 

grazing. The forage value is considered fair to good 

for cattle and horses, and fair value for sheep during 

its first two months of growth, and after it cures on 

the stem for fall and winter grazing. Crude protein 

content and available carbohydrates are inversely 

related in this plants constitution. Crude protein drops 

from 16 percent in May to 4 percent in November 

Description 

General: Grass Family (Poaceae). Prairie sandreed is 

a tall, coarse, stemmy, open sod forming grass found 

on sandy soil sites in typically low precipitation 

zones. Its coarsely fibrous root system augmented by 

scaly, spreading rhizomes produces an effective sand 

binding species. The culms are 1.0 to 1.5 meters (3-5 

feet) tall, arising singly and are attached to the stout, 

spreading rhizomes. Leaves are mostly cauline, pale 

green to straw colored. Leaf blades are rigid, flat to 

rolled, hairless, 30 cm (12 inches) long or longer, 

tapered to a drawn out tip. The ligule is short and 

hairy and the collar is hairy inside. Inflorescence is a 

panicle 15 to 35 cm (6-13 inches) long, semi-open 

and wider in the middle. Spikelets are pale, shiny, 

and one flowered. The lemmas are awnless and 

densely hairy at the base. It flowers from August to 

September and, and like most grasses, is wind 

pollinated. Prairie sandreed possesses the C-4 

photosynthetic pathway for carbon fixation (Waller 

and Lewis, 1979).

Distribution: For current distribution, please consult 

the Plant Profile page for this species on the 

PLANTS Web site. 

Habitat: Prairie sandreed is native from Manitoba to 

Quebec, Canada and south to Idaho, Colorado, 

Kansas and Indiana. Optimal performance can be 

expected on a sandy textured soil in the 40 to 50 cm 

(16-20 inch) rainfall zone. It exhibits strong drought 

tolerance when well established. It is intolerant of 

high water tables and early spring flooding. 

Steve Hurst, From PLANTS, provided by ARS Systematic Botany 

and Mycology Laboratory. 

Adaptation 

Prairie sandreed is drought tolerant and adapted to 

mean annual precipitation of less than 25 cm up to 50 

cm (10-20 inches). It is predominately found growing 

in clumps or colonies on coarse or sandy soil types. It 

will grow on soils that are somewhat alkaline, but it 

is not tolerant to salt. Prairie sandreed occurs 

naturally in mixed native stands with sand bluestem 

Andropogon hallii, little bluestem Schizachyrium 

scoparium, and sand lovegrass Eragrostis trichodes 

on choppy sand range sites. Several shrubs, including 

yucca Yucca glauca and sand sage Artemisia filifolia 

and a variety of forbs occur intermixed on these sites. 

It has been found growing on blow out sites in the 

Nebraska Sandhills. 

Establishment 

Propagation of Calamovilfa longifolia is 

accomplished by seed and vegetative means. Maun 

(1981) studied germination and seedling 

establishment on Lake Huron sand dunes at Pinery 

Provincial Park, Ontario. Seedling establishment is 

considered risky on sand dunes where high soil 

surface temperatures, low nutrient supply, low 

moisture availability, and erosion can limit seedling 

establishment and growth. Maun (1981) found that 

Calamovilfa longifolia produces large numbers of 

intermediate size seed (mean seed weight 1.64 mg + 

.14 mg standard deviation). He further noted that the 

endosperm of sandreed exhibited a dimorphic color 

scheme (brown and white) and that the brown 

endosperm types were significantly heavier than the 

white types. Maun’s (1981) seed germination studies 

indicated that the best germinations of Calamovilfa 

were produced when growth chamber settings were 

25 degrees C (14 hours) and 10 degrees C (10 hours). 

Temperatures higher (35 and 20 degrees C) and 

lower (15 and 0 degrees C) than those reduced 

germination significantly. Stratification of sandreed 

seed did not improve total germination, but it 

produced a faster rate of germination overall. 

Maun and Riach (1981) studied sand deposition 

effects on seedling emergence at field sites and 

greenhouse plantings. They found that seedling 

emergence from greater than 8.0 cm (3 inch) depths 

was not probable. Excavation of sites with seed 

buried by more than 8 cm (3 inch) of sand indicated 

that seed had germinated, but failed to emerge from 

that depth. Thus seedling emergence was negatively 

correlated with planting depth. Therefore, planting of 

prairie sandreed should be accomplished with a drill 

equipped with depth bands to better control depth of 

seeding. Seed should be planted at a depth of 2.54 cm 

(1 inch) on coarse textured soils and 1.27 cm (1/2 

inch) or less on medium to fine textured soils. 

Seedbed preparation should provide a weed free, firm 

surface on which to plant. Seedling vigor is only fair 

and stands develop rather slowly. Stands may require 

as long as two to three years to fully develop. 

Seeding rate will vary by region and may be 

influenced by the amount of processing provided by 

the seed producer. Some seed vendors process the 

seed down to the bare caryopsis. This will influence 

the seeding rate that is utilized. 

Management 

Mullahey et al. (1991) found that a June and August 

defoliation of prairie sandreed over a three year 

period produced the greatest dry matter yield 

compare to other treatments and the control. 

Generally annual dry matter yields declined for all 

defoliation treatments and the control during the three 

year study. Burlaff (1971) concluded that the 

concentration of crude protein in prairie sandreed 

declined with increased maturity of the forage. Dry 

matter digestibility also declined with advanced 

maturity of the plants. In similar studies Cogswell 

and Kamstra (1976) found that highly lignified 

species had lower in vitro dry matter digestibility 

values. Protein content of prairie sandreed decreased 

with maturity of the plant. Aase and Wight (1973) 

proved that water infiltration rates on undisturbed 

prairie sandreed were significantly higher and 

averaged about four times those on undisturbed 

surrounding vegetation. The duo attributed the 

greater infiltration rate in prairie sandreed colonies to 

the vigorous growth and resultant residue which 

intercepts rain drops and reduces the energy with 

which the rain impacts and seals the soils surface. 

They also discussed the effect of soil texture on 

infiltration rates and noted that coarse textured soils 

had higher infiltration rates. Total water use during 

the growing season was higher by prairie sandreed 

than by the surrounding vegetation, however dry 

matter production was twice as great. Production data 

collected at Pierre, SD reported prairie sandreed

(ND-95) production at 5,912 kg/ha (5,279 lbs/acre) of 

forage compared to 6,667 kg/ha (5,953 lbs/acre) for 

big bluestem (‘Bison’) at the same location. Prairie 

sandreed responds positively to prescribed spring 

burns. 

Pests and Potential Problems 

Grasshopper infestations can damage seedlings. 

Gophers have been known to undercut, smother and 

utilize the forage. Leaf rust (Puccinia amphigena 

Dietel.) was identified as a potential antiquality factor 

in the forage production of prairie sandreed. Mankin 

(1969) also identified leaf mold (Hendersonia 

calamovilfae Petr.), leaf spot (Septoria calamovilfae 

Petr.) and rust as plant pathogens that can affect 

prairie sandreed plants. Prairie sandreed plants with 

origins in the Great Plains are increasingly 

susceptible to rust when moved eastward. 

Environmental Concerns 

Prairie sandreed does not pose any known negative 

concerns to the environment. It can form dense 

colonies on coarse soils where it is well adapted. This 

attribute is often looked at as a positive trait for 

increasing ground cover which reduces both wind 

and water erosion on these sites. 

Control 

Please contact your local agricultural extension 

specialist or county weed specialist to learn what 

works best in your area and how to use it safely. 

Always read label and safety instructions for each 

control method. 

Seeds and Plant Production 

Calamovilfa is a genus native to North America and 

contains five individual species (Rogers, 1970). 

Calamovilfa closely resembles Calamagrostis and 

Ammophila in gross morphological characteristics, 

and was placed close to them in the tribe Agrostideae 

by Hitchcock (1951). Reeder and Ellingson (1960) 

pointed out that Calamovilfa differs from these 

genera in several important embryo characteristics, 

types of lodicules, leaf anatomy, and chromosome 

size and number. Calamovilfa and Sporoblus appear 

to be more closely related and have several features 

in common, including the peculiar fruit characteristic 

of having its pericarp free from the seed coat, thus 

not a true caryopsis (Gould and Shaw, 1983). Reeder 

and Singh (1967) determined that the basic 

chromosome number of x=10 for Calamovilfa. They 

reported that the chromosome number for 

Calamovilfa longifolia determined from study of the 

meiosis in pollen mother cells in anthers revealed that 

the chromosome number is 2n=40. The average seed 

production at Bridger, Montana has been 183 kg/ha 

under irrigation in 91 cm (36 inch) rows. Seed yields 

in North Dakota range from 56 to 560 kg/ha (50 to 

500 pounds/acre) under irrigation and 56 to 168 

kg/ha (50 to 150 pounds/acre) under dry land 

conditions. It is recommended that seed production 

fields be planted in row widths of 61 to 91 

centimeters (2-3 feet). Prairie sandreed is difficult to 

harvest in large quantities due to late maturity, seed 

shattering, lodging, and hairy seed units. Soil 

moisture on seed production fields should be kept at 

half field capacity up to flowering. No irrigation 

water should be applied during flowering and a 

minimum amount of irrigation water should follow 

flowering. Combining should be carried out during 

the hard dough stage of seed development. Seed 

processing should begin with a hammer milling and 

then re-cleaning in a fanning mill. A good seed 

quality is approximately 85 percent purity with a 75 

percent germination which produces a 64 percent 

Pure Live Seed (PLS). There are approximately 

695,960 seeds in a kilogram (2.54 pounds) of seed. 

Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and 

area of origin) 

Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation 

Service office for more information. Look in the 

phone book under “United States Government.” The 

Natural Resources Conservation Service will be 

listed under the subheading “Department of 

Agriculture.” 

‘Goshen’ prairie sandreed was cooperatively named 

and released by the Soil Conservation Service Plant 

Materials Center, Bridger, Montana and the Montana 

and Wyoming Agriculture Experiment Stations in 

1976 (Scheetz and Lohmiller, 1978). The original 

germplasm was collected near Torrington, Wyoming 

in 1959. It was released without selection and tested 

under the experimental designations WY-17 and P- 

15588. 

‘Pronghorn’ prairie sandreed was released by the 

USDA-ARS, the Agriculture Research Division of 

the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the USDA- 

SCS Manhattan Plant Materials Center, Manhattan, 

Kansas in 1988 (Vogel et al., 1996). An assembly of 

48 accessions was collected in 1968 from Kansas, 

Nebraska, and South Dakota and established in a 

space plant nursery at Manhattan, Kansas. The top 

ranked accessions from the nursery were provided to 

L.C. Newell, ARS agronomist, for further evaluation. 

Selections from the nursery were evaluated for vigor, 

forage production and rust tolerance. Evaluation trials 

comparing Goshen and Pronghorn revealed that 

Pronghorn produced stands and forage equivalent to 

Goshen, but was significantly superior with respect to 

leaf rust resistance. 

ND-95 (Bowman) was selected at the USDA-SCS 

Plant Materials Center, Bismarck, ND. ND-95 is an 

informal release of materials collected in 1956 from 

southwestern North Dakota (Bowman County). Seed 

production is average for the species. Forage 

production is comparable to Goshen, in the northern

U.S., but ND-95 has demonstrated improved 

performance in parts of Canada. Its dense wiry root 

mass makes it well adapted for stabilizing sandy 

soils. 

Koch Germplasm prairie sandreed was released by 

USDA-NRCS Rose Lake Plant Materials Center and 

the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts 

in 2007. Original germplasm was collected from 

native stands in costal zones along Lakes Michigan 

and Huron and subjected to three cycles of recurrent 

phenotypic selection for upright growth habit, seed 

production, and general vigor. Koch Germplasm 

prairie sandreed’s anticipated uses include wind 

erosion control, dune stabilization, and water quality 

improvement in costal zones of the Great Lakes 

Region and other sandy areas. 

References 

Aase, J.K. and J.R. Wight. 1973. Prairie Sandreed 

(Calamovilfa longifolia): water infiltration and 

use. Journal of Range Management. 26(3): 212- 

214. 

Burzlaff, D.F. 1971. Seasonal variations of the in 

vitro dry-matter digestibility of three sandhill 

grasses. Journal of Range Management. 24:60- 

63. 

Cogswell, C. and L.D. Kamstra. 1976. The stage of 

maturity and its effects upon the chemical 

composition of four native range species. 

Journal of Range Management. 29(6): 460-463. 

Craig, D., K. Sedivec, D. Tober, I. Russell, and T. 

Faller. 2002. Nutrient composition of selected 

warm-season grasses: Preliminary Report. 

USDA-NRCS, Bismarck, ND. 

Gould, F.W. and R.B. Shaw.1983. Grass Systematics 

2 nd Edition. Texas A&M University Press. 

College Station, Texas. 

Hitchcock, A.S. 1951. Manual of the grasses of the 

United States, 2 nd ed. (Revised by Agnes Chase.) 

U.S. Dept. Agric. Misc. Publ. 200. 

Mankin, C.J. 1969. Diseases of Grasses and Cereals 

in South Dakota. Agriculture Experiment Station 

Technical Bulletin 35. South Dakota State 

University, Brookings, SD. 

Maun, M.A. 1981. Seed germination and seedling 

establishment of Calamovilfa longifolia on Lake 

Huron sand dunes. Canadian Journal of Botany. 

59: 460-469. 

Maun, M.A. and S. Riach. 1981. Morphology of 

caryopses, seedlings, and seedling emergence of 

the grass Calamovilfa longifolia from various 

depths in sand. Oecologia. 49:137-1Mullahey, 

J.J., S.S. Waller, and L.E. Moser. 1991. 

Defoliation effects on yield and bud and tiller 

numbers of two Sandhills grasses. Journal of 

Range Management. 44(3): 241-245. 

Reeder, J.R. and M.A. Ellington. 1960. Calamovilfa, 

a misplaced genus of Gramineae. Brittonia. 

12:71-77. 

Reeder, J.R. and N. Singh. 1967 Chromosome 

number in Calamovilfa. Bulletin of the Torrey 

Botanical Club. 94:199-200. 

Rogers, K.E. 1970. A new species of Calamovilfa 

(Gramineae) from North America. Rhodora. 

72:72-79. 

Scheetz, J.G. and R.G. Lohmiller. 1978. Registration 

of Goshen Prairie Sandreed. Crop Science. 

18:693-694. 

Vogel, K.P., L.C. Newell, E.T. Jacobson, J.E. 

Watkins, P.E. Reece, and D.E. Bauer. 1996. 

Registration of Pronghorn Prairie Sandreed 

Grass. Crop Science. 36:1712. 

Waller, S.S. and J.K. Lewis. 1979. Occurrence of C3 

and C4 photosynthetic pathways in North 

American grasses. Journal of Range 

Management. 32:12-28. 

Prepared By: Wayne Duckwitz and Richard Wynia 

Citation 

Duckwitz Wayne, and Wynia, Richard USDA- 

Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant 

Materials Centers, Bismarck, ND 58502, and 

Manhattan, KS 66502 with additional information on 

Koch prairie sandreed provided by Rose Lake Plant 

Materials Center staff East Lansing, MI 48823. 

Published May, 2006 

Edited: 16Nov2006jsp, 27Nov2006jsp, 

30July2007hsom13Apr2011erg 

For more information about this and other plants, 

please contact your local NRCS field office or 

Conservation District at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ 

and visit the PLANTS Web site at 

http://plants.usda.gov/ or the Plant Materials Program 

Web site http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov. 

PLANTS is not responsible for the content or 

availability of other Web Sites. 

USDA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER AND EMPLOYER

Prairie Sandreed Plant Guide - Plant Materials Program

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