Poa cuspidata |
Poa ×nematophylla |
|
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early bluegrass |
bluegrass |
|
Habit | Plants perennial; loosely tufted or with solitary shoots, shortly rhizomatous. | Plants perennial; densely tufted, not stoloniferous, not rhizomatous. |
Culms | 15-60 cm, erect or the bases decumbent, not branching above the base, terete or weakly compressed; nodes terete, 0-1 exserted. |
10-35 cm, erect or the bases decumbent; nodes terete, 0-1 exserted. |
Sheaths | closed for about 1/2 their length, slightly compressed, distinctly keeled, glabrous, bases of basal sheaths glabrous, distal sheath lengths 4-60 times blade lengths; collars of proximal leaves usually retrorsely scabrous or pubescent distally and about the throat; ligules 0.5-4 mm, smooth or scabrous, apices truncate to acute; innovation blades similar to the cauline blades; cauline blades 1-4 mm wide, usually flat, sometimes slightly folded, smooth or sparsely scabrous, primarily over the veins, apices broadly prow-shaped, blades steeply reduced in length distally, flag leaf blades 0.2-3(6) cm. |
closed for 1/4-3/4 their length, terete, apices acuminate; innovation blades 0.5-1(2) mm wide, involute, moderately thick, moderately firm, abaxial surfaces smooth or scabrous, adaxial surfaces usually densely scabrous or hispidulous; cauline blades usually gradually reduced distally, 0.5-1(2) mm wide, flat, folded, or involute, thin, sometimes withering, abaxial surfaces smooth or scabrous, apices narrowly prow-shaped, sometimes the flag leaf blades vestigial. |
Basal branching | mainly extravaginal. |
intra-vaginal. |
Panicles | 5-15 cm, erect or lax, pyramidal, open, sparse, with 20-80 spikelets, proximal internodes usually 3+ cm; nodes usually with 2 branches; branches (2)3-7(10) cm, spreading to reflexed, straight, angled, angles scabrous, with 2-8(10) spikelets. |
2-8 cm, erect, narrowly lanceoloid to ovoid, contracted, congested; nodes with 1-2 branches; branches 0.5-3 cm, erect, terete to angled, scabrous. |
Spikelets | 5-8 mm, lengths to 3.5 times widths, laterally compressed, not sexually dimorphic; florets 2-5; rachilla internodes smooth. |
4-8 mm, lengths to 3 times widths, broadly lanceolate to narrowly ovate, laterally compressed, not sexually dimorphic; florets 2-5; rachilla internodes 0.5-1.2 mm, smooth or scabrous. |
Glumes | narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, distinctly keeled; lower glumes 1-3-veined; calluses webbed, hairs over 1/3 the lemma length; lemmas 3-6 mm, lanceolate, distinctly keeled, keels and marginal veins sparsely short- to long-villous, lateral veins moderately prominent, intercostal regions glabrous or the upper florets in the spikelets softly puberulent, margins glabrous, apices acute; palea keels scabrous, softly puberulent at midlength; anthers vestigial (0.1-0.2 mm) or 2-3.5 mm. |
lanceolate, distinctly keeled; lower glumes 3-veined, distinctly shorter than the lowest lemmas; calluses glabrous; lemmas 4-7 mm, lanceolate, distinctly keeled, membranous, keels and marginal veins usually softly puberulent, sometimes short-villous, intercostal regions usually glabrous, infrequently softly puberulent proximally, lateral veins moderately prominent, margins glabrous, apices acute; palea keels scabrous; anthers mostly vestigial (0.1-0.2 mm), rarely 2-3 mm. |
2n | = 28. |
= unknown. |
Poa cuspidata |
Poa ×nematophylla |
|
Distribution |
AL; DC; DE; GA; IN; KY; LA; MD; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; SC; TN; VA; WV
|
CO; ID; MT; ND; UT; WY; AB; BC; MB; SK |
Discussion | Poa cuspidata is a common species of forest openings in the Appalachian Mountains. It is an eastern counterpart of P. arnowiae (see previous), P. tracyi (p. 543), and P. nervosa (see next). Like those species, it is sequentially gynomonoecious. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Poa ×nematophylla is believed to consists of hybrids between P. cusickii subsp. pallida (see previous) and P. fendleriana (p. 556). It is mostly pistillate and apomictic; few staminate plants have been found. It usually resembles P. cusickii most, but grades towards P. fendleriana. It tends to grow on drier slopes than either parent, mainly in and around sagebrush desert/forest interfaces. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 24, p. 545. | FNA vol. 24, p. 562. |
Parent taxa | Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Madropoa > subsect. Poa | Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Madropoa > subsect. Epiles |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. cusickii subsp. pubens | |
Name authority | Nutt. | Rydb. |
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