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annual blue grass

Stebbins' blue grass

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.

10-30(40) cm, mostly erect, with 0-1 slightly exposed nodes.

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 1/5 – 2/5 their length, terete, smooth and glabrous, bases of basal sheaths glabrous, distal sheath lengths 1.4-3.6 times blade lengths;

collars smooth, glabrous;

ligules of cauline leaves 3-8 mm, colorless, transparent, smooth, margins decurrent, apices obtuse to acuminate, ligules of the innovation leaves 2.5-6 mm;

innovation blades similar to the cauline blades, 1-2 mm wide, involute, moderately thick, abaxial surfaces smooth, adaxial surfaces smooth or sparsely scabrous, sometimes sparsely hispidulous;

cauline blades gradually reduced in length distally, 1-2 mm wide, folded or involute, moderately thick, soft, abaxial surfaces smooth, apices narrowly prow-shaped.

Basal branching

intravaginal, innovations common, similar to the culms.

strictly 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.

3-7 cm, erect or slightly nodding, narrowly lanceoloid to narrowly ovoid, often interrupted, contracted to loosely contracted, with 9-38(60) spikelets;

nodes with 1-2 branches;

branches 0.5-1.5(2.5) cm, erect at maturity, slender, terete to sulcate or weakly angled, sparsely to moderately scabrous, with 1-5 spikelets.

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.

4-6.5 mm, lengths to 3.5 times widths, lanceolate, laterally compressed, not sexually dimorphic, usually strongly anthocyanic, less so in pistillate plants;

florets 2-4;

rachilla internodes smooth, glabrous or sparsely hispidulous.

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.

unequal, lanceolate, thin, lustrous, distinctly keeled, keels and distal surface smooth or sparsely finely scabrous;

lower glumes 3-veined, distinctly shorter than the lowest lemmas;

calluses glabrous;

lemmas 3.5-5.5 mm, lanceolate, distinctly keeled, thinly membranous, smooth or sparsely scabrous, glabrous, lateral veins moderately prominent, margins glabrous, apices acute;

palea keels finely scabrous;

anthers vestigial (0.1-0.2 mm) or 2-4.5 mm.

2n

= 28.

= 42, 81 (both counts of uncertain application).

Poa annua

Poa stebbinsii

Distribution
from FNA
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
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
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 stebbinsii is endemic to the high Sierra Nevada. It grows primarily in the outer margins of subalpine wet meadows, and is gynodioecious. It is easily recognized by its long hyaline ligules, thin glabrous lemmas, and the absence of intravaginal shoots. It was confused with P. bansenii Scribn. [= P. cusickii subsp. cusickii] by Keck in Munz (1959), and with P. leibergii by Hitchcock (1951).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 24, p. 519. FNA vol. 24, p. 564.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Micrantherae Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Madropoa > subsect. Epiles
Sibling taxa
P. abbreviata, P. alpina, P. alsodes, P. ammophila, P. arachnifera, P. arctica, P. arida, P. arnowiae, P. atropurpurea, P. autumnalis, P. bigelovii, P. bolanderi, P. bulbosa, P. chaixii, P. chambersii, P. chapmaniana, P. compressa, P. confinis, P. curtifolia, P. cusickii, P. cuspidata, P. diaboli, P. douglasii, P. eminens, P. fendleriana, P. glauca, P. hartzii, P. howellii, P. infirma, P. interior, P. keckii, P. kelloggii, P. laxa, P. laxa × glauca, P. laxiflora, P. leibergii, P. leptocoma, P. lettermanii, P. macrantha, P. macrocalyx, P. marcida, P. napensis, P. nemoralis, P. nervosa, P. occidentalis, P. paludigena, P. palustris, P. paucispicula, P. piperi, P. porsildii, P. pratensis, P. pringlei, P. pseudoabbreviata, P. reflexa, P. rhizomata, P. saltuensis, P. secunda, P. sierrae, P. stebbinsii, P. stenantha, P. strictiramea, P. sublanata, P. suksdorfii, P. supina, P. sylvestris, P. tenerrima, P. tracyi, P. trivialis, P. unilateralis, P. wheeleri, P. wolfii, P. ×gaspensis, P. ×limosa, P. ×nematophylla
P. abbreviata, P. alpina, P. alsodes, P. ammophila, P. annua, P. arachnifera, P. arctica, P. arida, P. arnowiae, P. atropurpurea, P. autumnalis, P. bigelovii, P. bolanderi, P. bulbosa, P. chaixii, P. chambersii, P. chapmaniana, P. compressa, P. confinis, P. curtifolia, P. cusickii, P. cuspidata, P. diaboli, P. douglasii, P. eminens, P. fendleriana, P. glauca, P. hartzii, P. howellii, P. infirma, P. interior, P. keckii, P. kelloggii, P. laxa, P. laxa × glauca, P. laxiflora, P. leibergii, P. leptocoma, P. lettermanii, P. macrantha, P. macrocalyx, P. marcida, P. napensis, P. nemoralis, P. nervosa, P. occidentalis, P. paludigena, P. palustris, P. paucispicula, P. piperi, P. porsildii, P. pratensis, P. pringlei, P. pseudoabbreviata, P. reflexa, P. rhizomata, P. saltuensis, P. secunda, P. sierrae, P. stenantha, P. strictiramea, P. sublanata, P. suksdorfii, P. supina, P. sylvestris, P. tenerrima, P. tracyi, P. trivialis, P. unilateralis, P. wheeleri, P. wolfii, P. ×gaspensis, P. ×limosa, P. ×nematophylla
Synonyms P. annua var. reptans, P. annua var. aquatica
Name authority L. Soreng
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