Towards equatorial latitudes, species of Calamagrostis generally occur at higher elevations.

The plants may be rhizomatous (underground stems with shoots), stoloniferous (with runners), or caespitose (growing in tufts or clumps).

The spikelets are clustered into inflorescences, which usually develop in early- to mid-summer on long culms ( = stems).

Many species of Calamagrostis are morphologically similar, but they generally occur in distinct habitats, and they have unique geographical distributions.

Given the subtle distinctions between many closely related taxa, there are several species complexes that could benefit from additional systematic study.