Saturday, August 24, 2019

In situ macro shots of Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' spikelets


Calamagrostis is a mainly-temperate genus with around 260 species in it. Grasses in this genus have panicles with bisexual spikelets that only contain one floret.



One of the better looking ornamental grasses is Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster', with its vertical habit and inflorescence.

It is a natural hybrid that is a cross between C. arundinacea and C. epigejos, which are two species native to Europe and Asia.


I've always liked how they looked, especially once the inflorescence have dried out, but I gained a new perspective on their beauty when I took in situ macros of the dried spikelets.

The structures obviously aren't colorful, but I like how the relatively smooth looking spike-like panicles at the non-macro level resolves into a visage of sharp-pointed and tightly-packed spikelets when magnified.

It calls to mind the phrase from Shakespeare that There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

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