Poa annua |
Poa chaixii |
|
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annual blue grass |
broadleaf bluegrass, Chaix's bluegrass |
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Habit | Plants usually annual, rarely surviving for a second season; not rhizomatous, sometimes stoloniferous, densely tufted. | Plants perennial; densely tufted, not stoloniferous, not rhizomatous. |
Culms | 2-20(45) cm, prostrate to erect, slender; nodes terete, usually 1 exserted. |
50-120 cm, stout. |
Sheaths | closed for about 1/3 their length, terete or weakly compressed, smooth; ligules 0.5-3(5) mm, smooth, glabrous, decurrent, obtuse to truncate; blades 1-10 cm long, 1-3(6) mm wide, flat or weakly folded, thin, soft, smooth, margins usually slightly scabrous, apices broadly prow-shaped. |
closed for 1/2 - 3/4 their length, distinctly compressed, keels winged, bases of basal sheaths glabrous; ligules 1-2 mm, smooth or sparsely scabrous, apices truncate; blades (4)6-15 mm wide, flat or folded, apices broadly and abruptly prow-shaped. |
Basal branching | intravaginal, innovations common, similar to the culms. |
extravaginal. |
Panicles | 1-7(10) cm, lengths 1.2-1.6 times widths, erect; nodes with 1-2(3) branches; branches ascending to spreading or reflexed, straight, terete, smooth, with crowded or loosely arranged spikelets. |
10-20 cm, ovoid to pyramidal, open, spikelets numerous, with 3-5 branches per node; branches ascending to spreading, angled, angles densely scabrous. |
Spikelets | 3-5 mm, laterally compressed; florets 2-6; rachilla internodes smooth, glabrous, concealed or exposed, distal internodes less than 1/2(3/4) the length of the distal lemma. |
4-9 mm, laterally compressed; florets 3-5; rachilla internodes about 1 mm, scabrous, glabrous. |
Glumes | smooth, distinctly keeled, keels smooth; lower glumes 1-veined; upper glumes shorter than or subequal to the lowest lemma; calluses glabrous; lemmas 2.5-4 mm, lanceolate, distinctly keeled, smooth throughout, the keels, marginal veins, and, usually, lateral veins crisply puberulent to long-villous, rarely glabrous throughout, lateral veins prominent, intercostal regions glabrous, margins smooth, glabrous, apices obtuse to acute; palea keels smooth, usually short- to long-villous, rarely glabrous; anthers 0.6-1.1 mm, oblong prior to dehiscence, those of the upper 1-2 florets usually vestigial. |
distinctly keeled, keels scabrous; lower glumes 1-3-veined; calluses glabrous; lemmas 3.5-4.5 mm, narrowly lanceolate, distinctly keeled, scabrous, glabrous throughout, lateral veins prominent, apices acute; palea keels scabrous, glabrous; anthers 1.5-3 mm. |
2n | = 28. |
= 14. |
Poa annua |
Poa chaixii |
|
Distribution |
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; HI; PR; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Greenland
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MN; NY; ON; QC |
Discussion | Poa annua is one of the world's most widespread weeds. It thrives in anthropomorphic habitats outside of the arctic. A native of Eurasia, it is now well established throughout most of the Flora region. Poa annua is a gynomonoecious tetraploid (possibly rarely polyhaploid), and is thought to have arisen from hybridization between P. infirma (see next) and P. supina (p. 521) (Tutin 1952). It is similar to P. infirma, differing in having larger anthers. It differs from P. chapmaniana (p. 534) in having glabrous calluses and three larger anthers, rather than one. Forms with glabrous lemmas occur sporadically within populations. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Poa chaixii was introduced from Europe as an attractive ornamental, and has occasionally escaped. A population in southwestern Quebec has been extirpated. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 24, p. 519. | FNA vol. 24, p. 540. |
Parent taxa | Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Micrantherae | Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Homalopoa |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. annua var. reptans, P. annua var. aquatica | |
Name authority | L. | Vill. |
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