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plains bluegrass, prairie speargrass

rough blue grass, rough-sheath blue grass, rough-stalk blue grass

Habit Plants perennial; glaucous or not; densely to loosely tufted or the culms solitary, rhizomatous. Plants perennial, short-lived; somewhat loosely to densely tufted, usually weakly stoloniferous.
Culms

15-80 cm, erect or the bases decumbent, terete or weakly compressed;

nodes terete, 0-1 exserted.

25-120 cm, decumbent to erect, sometimes trailing and rooting at the nodes, terete or weakly compressed;

nodes terete or slightly compressed, (0)1-3 exserted.

Sheaths

closed for 1/10 – 1/5(1/4) their length, terete, smooth or sparsely scabrous, glabrous, bases of basal sheaths glabrous, distal sheath lengths (1.2)1.5-9(20) times blade lengths;

ligules (1)1.5-4(5) mm, smooth or sparsely to moderately scabrous, apices obtuse to acute;

blades strongly to gradually reduced in length distally, 1.5-5 mm wide, flat and moderately thin to folded and moderately thick and firm, abaxial surfaces smooth, adaxial surfaces smooth or sparsely to moderately scabrous, primarily over the veins, apices narrowly prow-shaped, flag leaf blades (0.4)1-7(10) cm.

closed for about 1/3-1/2 their length, compressed, usually densely scabrous, bases of basal sheaths glabrous, distal sheath lengths 0.5-4 times blade lengths;

collars smooth or scabrous, glabrous;

ligules 3-10 mm, scabrous, acute to acuminate;

blades 1-5 mm wide, flat, lax, soft, sparsely scabrous over the veins, margins scabrous, apices narrowly prow-shaped.

Basal branching

intra- and extravaginal.

intra-vaginal.

Panicles

(2.5)4-12(18) cm, erect, usually narrowly lanceoloid, contracted, sometimes interrupted, infrequently loosely contracted, usually congested, with 25-100 spikelets;

nodes with 1-5 branches;

branches 1-9 cm, erect to infrequently ascending, rarely spreading, terete to weakly angled, smooth or the angles sparsely to moderately scabrous, with 3-24 spikelets.

8-25 cm, erect or lax, pyramidal, open, with 35-100+ spikelets;

nodes with 3-7 branches;

branches 2-8(10) cm, ascending to spreading, flexuous to fairly straight, angled, angles densely scabrous, crowded, with 5-35 spikelets in the distal 1/2-3/4.

Spikelets

3.2-7 mm, lengths to 3.5(3.8) times widths, laterally compressed;

florets 2-7;

rachilla internodes smooth, sometimes sparsely puberulent.

2.3-3.5 mm, lengths to 3 times widths, laterally compressed;

florets 2-4, bisexual;

rachilla internodes smooth or muriculate.

Glumes

lanceolate, distinctly keeled, smooth or sparsely scabrous;

lower glumes 3-veined;

calluses usually glabrous, infrequently webbed, hairs to 1/4 the lemma length;

lemmas 2.5-4.5 mm, lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, distinctly to weakly keeled, keels and marginal veins short- to long-villous, lateral veins moderately prominent, glabrous or puberulent, intercostal regions usually glabrous, infrequently hairy, hairs to 0.3 mm, margins glabrous, apices acute or blunt;

palea keels scabrous, glabrous or short-villous at midlength, intercostal regions usually glabrous, sometimes puberulent to short-villous;

anthers 1.3-2.2 mm.

distinctly keeled, keels scabrous;

lower glumes subulate to narrowly lanceolate, usually arched to sickle-shaped, 1-veined, distinctly shorter than the lowest lemmas;

calluses webbed, hairs over 2/3 the lemma length;

lemmas 2.3-3.5 mm, lanceolate, distinctly keeled, keels usually sparsely puberulent to 3/5 their length, marginal veins usually glabrous, infrequently the proximal 1/4 softly puberulent, intercostal regions smooth, glabrous, upper lemmas sometimes glabrous, lateral veins prominent, margins glabrous, apices acute;

palea keels smooth, muriculate, tuberculate, or minutely scabrous;

anthers 1.3-2 mm.

2n

= 56, 56+1, 56-58, 63, 64, 70, 76, 84, ca. 90, 95+-5, 100, 103.

= 14.

Poa arida

Poa trivialis

Distribution
from FNA
CO; IA; IL; IN; KS; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NJ; NM; OH; OK; SD; TX; WY; AB; MB; ON; QC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AL; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; BC; LB; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Greenland
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Poa arida grows mainly on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains and in the northern Great Plains, primarily in riparian habitats of varying salinity or alkalinity. It is spreading eastward along heavily salted highway corridors. Reports of its occurrence west of the Continental Divide and in southwestern Texas are mostly attributable to misidentifications of P. arctica subsp. aperta (p. 530). P. arctica subsp. grayana (p. 532), and rhizomatous specimens of P. fendleriana (p. 556).

Poa arida may reflect past hybridization between P. secunda (p. 586) and a species of Poa sect. Poa. Poa glaucifolia Scribn. & T.A. Williams refers to specimens of the northern Great Plains that have a more lax growth form with broader leaves and occasionally somewhat open panicles, florets with a small web, and sometimes lacking hairs between the keel and marginal veins of the lemma. Plants with these characteristics have chromosome counts of 2ra = 56 and 70, whereas P. arida sensu stricto usually has 2n = 63, 64, or greater than 70. It is suspected that some of the variability reflects introgression from P. secunda.

Poa arida is a named intersectional hybrid

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

Poa trivialis is an introduced European species. Only Poa trivialis subsp. trivialis is present in the Flora region. Several cultivars have been planted for pastures and lawns, and have often escaped cultivation. Poa trivialis sometimes grows with P. paludigena (p. 572), but has distinctly longer ligules and anthers. It is easily recognized by its flat blades, long ligules, sickle-shaped lower glumes, prominent callus webs, and lemmas with pubescent keels and pronounced lateral veins.

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

Source FNA vol. 24, p. 599. FNA vol. 24, p. 568.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Pandemos
Sibling taxa
P. abbreviata, P. alpina, P. alsodes, P. ammophila, P. annua, P. arachnifera, P. arctica, 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. stebbinsii, P. stenantha, P. strictiramea, P. sublanata, P. suksdorfii, P. supina, P. sylvestris, P. tenerrima, P. tracyi, P. unilateralis, P. wheeleri, P. wolfii, P. ×gaspensis, P. ×limosa, P. ×nematophylla
Synonyms P. glaucifolia
Name authority Vasey L.
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