Calamagrostis canadensis (Blue Joint Grass)
Calamagrostis canadensis (Blue Joint Grass)
Available
Subject to confirmation.
Updated
Couldn't load pickup availability
$30 minimum per species for seed.
$30 minimum per species for seed.
Each species requires a minimum of $30 of seed to proceed with checkout.
Pure Live Seed
Pure Live Seed
Seed is provided in Pure Live Seed (PLS) unless otherwise stated.
Pure Live Seed (PLS) expresses the viable seed content of a seed lot using its purity and germination or viability test results. It helps you compare seed lots and calculate how much bulk seed is needed to meet a specified PLS planting rate.
PLS weight and bag weight
PLS weight is not the same as the total weight of seed in a bag. For example, a lot with 80% purity and 75% viability contains 60% PLS: 80 × 75 ÷ 100 = 60. Supplying 10 lb PLS from that lot requires about 16.67 lb of bulk seed.
Use the current seed test and the stated basis of the mix specification. Germination calculations may include applicable hard or dormant seed. Seed-count estimates also require the number of seeds per pound; PLS alone does not provide a seed count.
What to check when buying a mix
Check whether each rate is stated in PLS pounds, bulk pounds, or a combination. A mix with both bases should not be described as having an all-PLS total.
PLS does not remove weed seeds or guarantee establishment. Review the seed label and analysis for weed content, and match site preparation, planting conditions and follow-up management to your project.
Sources: USDA NRCS, Understanding Pure Live Seed and The Importance of Seed Quality for Natural Resource Conservation.
Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.
Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.
0.01 pounds = 0.16 ounces
- 0.1 pounds = 1.6 ounces
- 0.25 pounds = 4 ounces
- 0.5 pounds = 8 ounces
- 0.75 pounds = 12 ounces
- 1.00 pounds = 16 ounces
Bluejoint can form dense stands in moist or wet ground. Give this substantial grass a sunny or partly sunny setting where its mass of stems has room to develop.
For Calamagrostis canadensis, choose full to partial sun and wet to moist soil. Recorded habitats include marshes; Swales; Bogs; Wet prairies; Sedge meadows; Open woods; Streambanks and lakeshores; Moist to wet thickets. Reported height: 2-5 ft.
Growth habit: can spread quickly by shallow rhizomes in moist to wet sites. Allow space for this growth between neighboring plants over several seasons, rather than spacing only for the size of a young plant.
Plant specifications & ecological relationships
Key growing facts
| Sunlight | Full to partial sun |
|---|---|
| Soil moisture | Wet to moist |
| Height | 2-5 ft |
| Bloom season | Early to mid-summer |
Native landscape companions
For partial sun / light shade and moist soil, consider these native plants alongside Calamagrostis canadensis:
| Companion plant | Height |
|---|---|
| Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) | Up to 5 ft |
| Dark-green Bulrush (Scirpus atrovirens) | About 2½–4 ft |
| Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis) | 1½–3 ft |
| Sweet Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia subtomentosa) | 3-6 ft |
These landscape suggestions combine overlapping growing needs with documented plant associations. Match soil, seasonal wetness and mature spread to your site. Remnant records are described separately under Plant communities & associates.
Show / hide ▾Growing & planting details
| Growth habit | Can spread quickly by shallow rhizomes in moist to wet sites |
|---|---|
| Root form | Fibrous roots; Rhizomes |
| Soil pH | Broad tolerance reported by the guide, approximately pH 3.5–8.0 |
| Drought tolerance | Low |
| Salt tolerance | None |
Plant identification & seed reference
| Botanical name | Calamagrostis canadensis |
|---|---|
| Other common names | blue joint grass |
| Seed germination | USDA lists cold stratification as not required; seed-lot response may vary. |
| Plant family | Poaceae |
| Seeds per pound — reference estimate | 3837472 |
Plant characteristics
Calamagrostis canadensis (Blue Joint Grass) gets its name from the blue-green foliage. This native is an adaptable cool season clumping grass commonly found in wet prairies and sedge meadows. Upright seed heads form in midsummer turning from a salmon pink to a pleasant golden brown in late summer and fall. This grass can tolerate seasonal standing water if you are looking to fill that wet spot.
Show / hide ▾Plant communities & associates
Chicago-region plant communities
Sand Ridge Savanna, Will County (2007–2009 study). Recorded in: sedge meadow.
Sedge meadow — selected native associates: Carex buxbaumii, Verbena hastata, Eupatorium perfoliatum.
These records come from sampled communities within the preserve.
Illinois plant communities
These regional accounts place this plant and the plants below in the same type of natural community. A community list does not mean that every species grew together in one plot. Use the habitat and location to understand the relationship; it is not a planting recipe.
- Mature wet-mesic sand prairie — Illinois sand deposits: Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, Spartina pectinata, Carex spp., Euphorbia corollata, Euthamia gymnospermoides, Liatris aspera, Parthenium integrifolium, Solidago canadensis. (pp. 265–266)
- Wet sand prairie — Illinois sand deposits: Spartina pectinata, Carex stricta, Galium obtusum, Helianthus grosseserratus, Hypericum sphaerocarpum, Solidago canadensis, Thelypteris palustris. (pp. 266)
Green River community records
Wet sand prairie: Lee County, Illinois (2006). Selected catalog plants recorded in this community: Asclepias syriaca; Bolboschoenus fluviatilis; Helianthus grosseserratus; Onoclea sensibilis; Pycnanthemum virginianum; Rudbeckia subtomentosa.
The study site includes restoration plantings. Community records do not establish county-native origin or a seed-mix recipe.
Other documented plant associations
These published associations show how this plant fits into natural vegetation. The region and community are identified for each list; moisture, shade and flooding can differ within a community.
Wet meadows and wet-woodland associations
Species-range synthesis; not a single sampled stand
Wetland with aspen canopy, dogwood shrubs and sedge–bluejoint ground layer
Mullin Tract, Wellington County, Ontario; historical prefire study
Wetland codominants
Upper Mud Lake wetland complex, Wisconsin
Other regional plant communities
These plants are named with this species in published vegetation accounts. Each list keeps its community and region; some records describe a shared vegetation type rather than neighboring plants in a measured plot. They are ecological records, not a planting recipe, and may include plants unsuitable for a particular garden.
- Wet meadows and moist woods (Northeastern and upper Midwestern North America; account synthesis): Carex stricta.
- Wet prairie and alkaline fen (Indiana): Spartina pectinata.
- Moist forest and riparian communities (North American range synthesis; chiefly western study references): Poa pratensis, Epilobium angustifolium, Carex rostrata, Deschampsia caespitosa, Salix geyeriana, Salix boothii, Salix wolfii, Abies lasiocarpa, Pinus contorta, Picea engelmannii.
- Wetland succession (Central Alberta): Salix discolor.
Show / hide ▾Native range & C-value
State nativity describes a broad range. Use the Chicago-region assessment for local context; a state listing does not establish county nativity.
| Wetland indicator — NWPL 2022 Midwest | OBL |
|---|---|
| C-value — Chicago region, Flora 2017 | 6 |
| Chicago-region native — Flora 2017 | Yes |
| Native range — U.S. states | Alaska; Arizona; California; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; Georgia; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Dakota; Tennessee; Utah; Vermont; Virginia; Washington; West Virginia; Wisconsin; Wyoming |
| County nativity | Not yet verified; occurrence records do not establish nativity. |
Show / hide ▾Pollinators & wildlife
Caterpillars & other plant-feeding insects
This plant has published caterpillar host records for the butterflies and moths listed below. These are larval feeding relationships, separate from adult nectar visits. The records span a North American literature compilation and do not establish that every insect occurs locally or uses only this plant.
Butterflies & skippers
- Lon taxiles — Taxiles Skipper
- Piruna pirus — Russet Skipperling
Moths
- Ctenucha virginica — Virginia Ctenucha
Show / hide ▾Frequently asked questions
What are the ideal growing conditions for Blue Joint Grass?
Light: Full to partial sun. Soil moisture: Wet to moist.
How do I germinate and establish Blue Joint Grass from seed?
USDA lists cold stratification as not required; seed-lot response may vary.
Is Blue Joint Grass deer and herbivore resistant?
Species-specific deer resistance has not been verified here. Even plants described as resistant may be browsed. Use physical protection where deer damage is a concern.
When should I expect Blue Joint Grass to bloom?
Typical flowering period: Early to mid-summer. Timing varies with location and weather.
Show / hide ▾Sources & ecological notes
Landscape companion selection: Natural Communities compared the growing requirements shown on these species pages with selected source records: Sedge meadow — Chicago region — Will County, Illinois; Wet sand prairie — Green River Lowlands, northwestern Illinois. The shortlist is a planting-design inference. A shared record does not establish adjacency, identical soil requirements, local seed origin, or a tested planting combination. Regional synthesis records retain their documented focal-to-associate scope.
Will County community records: Phillippe, Marcum & Ebinger (2012), Sand Ridge Savanna vegetation, Tables 1–5. Selected species and habitat facts independently organized; no open license is asserted for the article. Sampled communities are kept separate from the preserve’s seeded field.
Illinois communities & local records: INHS: Illinois sand-area plant communities; Ebinger et al.: Green River communities (2009).
Native range & ecological ratings: Flora of the Chicago Region (2017), via Universal FQA; USACE Chicago FQA (2017); Kew WCVP / Plants of the World Online; USACE National Wetland Plant List.
Growing conditions & other references: Illinois Wildflowers, John Hilty; USDA Forest Service: caraqu; USDA Forest Service: carstr; USDA Forest Service: Calamagrostis canadensis; USDA Forest Service: Salix discolor; USDA Forest Service: Spartina pectinata; USDA NRCS PLANTS; Patrick Goggin: Wisconsin native plant guide, p. 75.
Wildlife records: Shropshire & Tallamy: caterpillar hosts (2025).
Native range does not identify the origin of the seed or plants offered. Community and wildlife records apply to the locations and conditions described.
Research notes & credits
USACE/ERDC fqadata — Chicago Region FQA 2017. Herman, B., Sliwinski, R. & Whitaker, S. (2017), Chicago Region FQA Calculator; distributed by USACE/ERDC in fqadata under CC0. Values may differ from Flora of the Chicago Region (2017). CC0 dedication. Retained for comparison; the displayed C-value follows Flora database 80.
Range data: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; 4 June 2026 release, accessed 7 September 2026. © The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. CC BY 3.0; selected and reformatted. Kew cannot warrant the quality or accuracy of these data. This use has no Kew endorsement.
Caterpillar host records: Shropshire, K.J. & Tallamy, D.W. (2025), Lepidoptera of North America, Supplement 1. Contains information from this database made available under the Open Database License (ODbL 1.0). Natural Communities selected species-level records and screened source qualifications. The complete selection and transformation instructions for this page are available below under the same license.
Source: Phillippe, L.R., Molano-Flores, B., Murphy, M.J.C., Marcum, P.B. & Ebinger, J.E. (2011), Status of Endangered and Threatened Sand Area Species of the Illinois Flora, Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 39(4):259–296. © 2011 University of Illinois Board of Trustees; CC BY 4.0. Selected community facts regrouped and described by Natural Communities. Historical source names retained; no current legal conservation status is asserted.
Flora rating attribution: Kenneth Johnson (2018), Flora of the Chicago Region UFQA Database, following Gerould Wilhelm and Laura Rericha (2017), Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Individual rating facts are presented with original commentary; the calculator’s software license is not treated as a license for the underlying Flora publication.
Caterpillar research records
Plant: Calamagrostis canadensis
Record scope: Host literature synthesis; no county nativity or local insect occurrence inferred.
Shropshire & Tallamy (2025) · Original research dataset · Reuse license: ODbL-1.0
| Plant names in the source | Source insect record IDs |
|---|---|
| Calamagrostis canadensis | 203646, 207894, 210147 |
How these records were selected
To reproduce this selection, use the “UDELep May 2025” worksheet in the original research dataset.
- Match the insect record IDs above to column A (UDLepID). Within each table row, pair every listed insect ID with every listed source plant name.
- Use the first two words in column H for the insect’s scientific name, column E for its common name, and column AB for its source category.
- Treat the selected pairs as reported caterpillar host records. Keep all other source fields unchanged and outside this selected table. Include no other rows or host pairs.
- Group butterflies and skippers together, and the other categories as moths. Retain the source’s exotic-category labels and sort display names by scientific insect name.
Growing guidance: Illinois Extension — Keeping deer out of the yard and garden. Selected facts in original wording. General deer advice is not a species resistance rating.
Plant Shipping & Care
Plant Shipping & Care
We want to ensure that our customers get what they want, a native backyard oasis. To do that, we need to follow a few simple guidelines and give you some information and pointers to make sure you get your plants delivered in a healthy state.
As a reminder, you will receive an email to confirm your pickup or shipping window just before the plants are ready. See Order Fulfillment below for seasonal fulfillment windows.
Choices to Receive Your Plants & Accessories
- Website orders: Seed, plugs and bare-root plants offered for shipping are shipped to your address. Shipping charges are calculated at checkout.
- Container trees and shrubs: Some #3 and #5 container options are offered for scheduled pickup only. Check the selected product option and the cart pickup instructions before ordering. Pickup and shipped items require separate orders where indicated in the cart.
- Wholesale orders: Delivery and pickup are arranged separately according to the order, supplier yard and location. Wholesale pickup is free.
- Pickup locations and dates are confirmed by email. Please wait for confirmation before traveling to a pickup site. Our offices are not retail stores or nursery pickup locations.
Order Fulfilment - When Your Plants or Other Items Will Be Ready
We take orders all year long and seed is shipped all year, but we only provide the plants to you in certain fulfillment windows to ensure healthy plants.
Wholesale Orders
- Shipped or are Ready For Pick Up As Requested.
Retail & Website Orders
- Seed Typically Ships Out Within One Week Of Order All Year Long
- Typically, single species flats ship when ready, sometimes as soon as early to mid-April (depends on weather) through early-October.
- Mixed species kits are batched and shipped as indicated on the product page.
- If a plant order is placed while outside of the plant fulfillment window your plants will be reserved through your payment, however, the order will not be fulfilled and shipped until the following spring. We don't want to provide you plants when they won't be happy during the cold winter months.
- Early in the spring and later in the fall certain species may be dormant or partially dormant with brown leaves, however they will return to grow healthy next growing season.
- Your order may arrive in several different shipments.
- If certain plants within an order will not be available until a later date, we may choose to hold the full order until all are ready. In certain circumstances, we may choose to send them in two separate shipments
- Fulfillment is always dependent upon plant availability. We try our best but sometimes plants do not overwinter well and perish. If a plant is on back order you will receive an email indicating the estimated shipping date. If we can not provide the plant we will first notify you and give you an option of substitution or a refund of that individual species.
- Plants are typically only packaged and shipped on Mondays to ensure they do not sit in the harsh delivery facility for extended periods of time over the weekend. You will receive a confirmation email once your delivery has been shipped and to estimate your delivery date.
- Apparel & accessories are ready typically within one to two weeks. See product page for holiday shipping.
Where We Ship
What to Expect When Receiving Your Delivery
- Your plants will be packaged with the utmost care
- We will need to cut back certain plants prior to shipping. This seems counter-intuitive, however, the fewer leaves the less water the plants can lose during shipping, resulting in healthier plants for you. This also enables the plants to fit within the protective packaging and shipped safely.
Shipments
- Larger plant shipments will look similar to the picture below with a tray of your plants and a cardboard box to protect them during shipping.
What to Do With Your Plants After Receiving Your Delivery
- Unpack your order IMMEDIATELY
- Inspect for damage and report any issues immediately to Natives@NaturalCommunities.net
- Water your plants
- Install your plants as quickly as possible and water the entire garden area thoroughly
- If you cannot install your plants immediately
- Some plants may not be in a container, put them into some kind of a container such as a paper cup with loose soil until installation
- Make sure each plant is receiving the appropriate amount of light.
- Continue to water daily each morning and possibly again in the afternoon
- No additional fertilizer is needed
Seed Shipping & Care
Seed Shipping & Care
Seed ships all year and typically ships within a week of an order being placed.
We have attempted to put together some basic information regarding native seed installation, establishment, and maintenance. We hope you find it helpful. If you need further assistance on native seed establishment, please schedule a free consolation call here.
Consultation Services
Ecosystem Restoration Considerations
Native Seed Establishment Best Management Practices
Native Seed Stratification Best Management Practices
Solving a Site Problem? Get Expert Advice + Get Store Credit
Whether you're fighting severe erosion, replacing invasive species, designing a pollinator haven, or seeding large acreage, choosing the wrong species wastes time and money. Talk 1-on-1 with a restoration ecologist to map out the exact species, plug counts, or seed mixes for your soil and goals. Book a consultation and get all or a portion credited directly back to your order.