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sand-dune blue grass

Habit Strongly rhizomatous, dioecious perennial, the culms hollow, glabrous, 2-4 dm. tall.
Leaves

Sheaths glabrous, open most of their length, but closed as least for the lower 2-3 cm.;

ligules 1-1.5 mm. long, thick, strongly pubescent, truncate, highest on the sides;

blades stiff and involute, in dense basal tufts, up to 3 mm. broad, 5-12 cm. long, the tips only slightly prow-like.

Flowers

Inflorescence a compact panicle 4-12 cm. long, the branches short, stiff and ascending;

spikelets 4- to 6-flowered, occasionally bulbiferous;

glumes subequal, about 9 mm. long, 5-nerved, keeled;

lemmas about 9 mm. long, 7- to 11-nerved, pubescent on the keel and marginal nerves, the rachilla also pubescent with soft, straight hairs; staminate flowers with anthers 3.5 mm. long, pistillate flowers with vestigial stamens.

Poa douglasii

Poa macrantha

Flowering time April-July
Habitat Sand dunes along the marine coast.
Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring west of the Cascades crest along the coast in Washington; southern Alaska to California.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Native
Conservation status Not of concern
Sibling taxa
P. alpina, P. annua, P. arctica, P. bolanderi, P. bulbosa, P. compressa, P. confinis, P. curtifolia, P. cusickii, P. fendleriana, P. glauca, P. howellii, P. infirma, P. interior, P. laxiflora, P. leibergii, P. leptocoma, P. lettermanii, P. macrantha, P. marcida, P. ×multnomae, P. nemoralis, P. nervosa, P. palustris, P. paucispicula, P. pratensis, P. secunda, P. stenantha, P. suksdorfii, P. trivialis, P. unilateralis, P. wheeleri
P. alpina, P. annua, P. arctica, P. bolanderi, P. bulbosa, P. compressa, P. confinis, P. curtifolia, P. cusickii, P. fendleriana, P. glauca, P. howellii, P. infirma, P. interior, P. laxiflora, P. leibergii, P. leptocoma, P. lettermanii, P. marcida, P. ×multnomae, P. nemoralis, P. nervosa, P. palustris, P. paucispicula, P. pratensis, P. secunda, P. stenantha, P. suksdorfii, P. trivialis, P. unilateralis, P. wheeleri
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