Poa bulbosa |
Poa compressa |
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bulbous blue grass |
Canada blue grass, Canadian blue grass, flat-stem blue grass |
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Habit | Plants perennial; densely tufted, not rhizomatous, not stoloniferous. | Plants perennial; usually with solitary shoots, sometimes loosely tufted, extensively rhizomatous. | ||||
Culms | 15-60 cm, erect or spreading, bases bulbous. |
15-60 cm, wiry, bases usually geniculate, strongly compressed; nodes strongly compressed, some proximal nodes usually exserted. |
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Sheaths | closed for about 1/4 their length, terete, lowest sheaths with swollen bases; ligules 1-3 mm, smooth or scabrous, apices obtuse to acute; blades 1-2.5 mm wide, flat, thin, lax, soon withering. |
closed for 1/10 – 1/5 their length, distinctly compressed, bases of basal sheaths glabrous; ligules 1-3 mm, moderately to densely scabrous, ciliolate, apices obtuse; blades 1.5-4 mm wide, flat, cauline blades subequal. |
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Basal branching | intravaginal. |
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Panicles | 3-12 cm, ovoid; nodes with 2-5 branches; branches ascending to spreading, terete, usually smooth or sparsely scabrous, infrequently moderately scabrous. |
2-10 cm, generally 1/6 - 1/3 as wide as long, erect, linear, lanceoloid to ovoid, often interrupted, sparse to congested, with 15-80 spikelets and mostly with 1-3 branches per node; branches 0.5-3 cm, erect to ascending, or infrequently spreading, angles densely scabrous, at least in part, with 1-15 spikelets. |
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Spikelets | 3-5 mm, laterally compressed, usually bulbiferous; florets 3-7, the basal floret, and sometimes additional florets, normal; rachilla internodes smooth, glabrous. |
(2.3)3.5-7 mm, laterally compressed; florets 3-7; rachilla internodes usually shorter than 1 mm, smooth to muriculate. |
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Glumes | keeled, keels scabrous; lower glumes 3-veined; upper glumes shorter than or subequal to the lowest lemmas; calluses webbed or glabrous; lemmas 3-4 mm, lanceolate, keeled, glabrous or the keels and marginal veins short- to long-villous, intercostal regions glabrous or softly puberulent, apices acute; paleas scabrous, keels often softly puberulent at midlength; anthers 1.2-1.5 mm and functional, sometimes aborted late in development, sometimes not developed. |
distinctly keeled; lower glumes 3-veined; calluses usually webbed, sometimes glabrous; lemmas 2.3-3.5 mm, lanceolate, distinctly keeled, keels and marginal veins short-villous, intercostal regions glabrous, lateral veins obscure, margins glabrous, apices acute; paleas scabrous over the keels; anthers 1.3-1.8 mm. |
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2n | = 14, 21, 28, 39, 42, 45. |
= 35, 42, 49, 50, 56, 84. |
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Poa bulbosa |
Poa compressa |
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Distribution |
AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DE; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NE; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY
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AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; 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; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT
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Discussion | Poa bulbosa is a European species that is now established in the Flora region. In southern Europe and the Middle East, it is considered an important early spring forage. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Poa compressa is common in much of the Flora region. It is sometimes considered to be native, but this seems doubtful. It is rare and thought to be introduced in Siberia and only local in the Russian Far East, but is common in Europe. In the Flora region, it is often seeded for soil stabilization, and has frequently escaped. It grows mainly in riparian areas, wet meadows, and disturbed ground. Its distinctly compressed nodes and culms, exserted lower culm nodes, rhizomatous growth habit, and scabrous panicle branches make it easily identifiable. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 24, p. 516. | FNA vol. 24, p. 579. | ||||
Parent taxa | Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Arenariae | Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Tichopoa | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Name authority | L. | L. | ||||
Web links |
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