The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Douglas' bluegrass, sand dune blue grass

ocean bluff blue grass, San Francisco bluegrass, sea-bluff bluegrass

Habit Plants perennial; loosely tufted, rhizomatous and stoloniferous, rhizomes and stolons to 1 m. Plants perennial; frequently glaucous; densely tufted, not stoloniferous, not rhizomatous.
Culms

(5)10-30 cm tall, 1.2-1.5 mm thick, bases decumbent, terete or weakly compressed, hispidulous beneath the panicles;

nodes terete, 0(1) exserted.

5-40 cm, erect or ascending, frequently decumbent, terete, with 0-2 exserted nodes.

Sheaths

closed for about 1/2 their length, terete, smooth or sparsely to moderately retrorsely scabrous near the collars, glabrous, bases of basal sheaths glabrous, distal sheath lengths 0.9-3.5 times blade lengths;

collars sparsely to moderately retrorsely scabrous, glabrous;

ligules 1-2 mm, scabrous, truncate to obtuse, ciliolate;

innovation blades to 30 cm long, adaxial surfaces moderately to densely scabrous or hispidulous on and between the veins;

cauline blades subequal in length, 1-2 mm wide, involute, moderately thick, moderately firm, arcuate, abaxial surfaces smooth or sparsely scabrous, adaxial surfaces moderately to densely scabrous or hispidulous on and between the veins, apices narrowly prow-shaped, flag leaf blades 1-9 cm.

closed for 1/10(1/5) their length, terete, smooth, glabrous, bases of basal sheaths glabrous, distal sheath lengths 1-4 times widths;

ligules 2-6 mm, smooth or sparsely scabrous, obtuse to acute;

innovation blades usually 1-1.5 mm wide, thin, soon withering, and distinctly narrower than the cauline blades, infrequently wider, flat, and a bit fleshy as in the cauline blades, or involute;

cauline blades gradually reduced in length distally, 2-5 mm wide, flat or folded, soft, thin and soon withering or moderately thick and somewhat fleshy and retaining their form, smooth, apices narrowly to broadly prow-shaped.

Basal branching

mainly intravaginal, some extravaginal.

all or mainly intravaginal.

Panicles

1.5-6 cm, erect, compact, ovoid, contracted, infrequently interrupted, congested, with 15-50 spikelets;

nodes with 1-2 branches, internodes densely hispidulous;

branches 0.5-2 cm, erect, stiff, terete to weakly angled, densely hispidulous, with 1-5 spikelets.

3-7 cm, erect, nearly cylindrical, contracted, congested, with (20)30-80(120) spikelets;

nodes with 3-7 branches;

branches 0.5-1.5(4.5) cm, erect, usually angled, infrequently terete or sulcate, angles usually moderately to densely scabrous, infrequently smooth with dense papillae and weak-angled, with 2-10 spikelets in the proximal 2/3;

pedicels shorter than the spikelets.

Spikelets

7-12 mm, lengths to 3 times widths, laterally compressed, not sexually dimorphic;

florets 3-6;

rachilla internodes usually shorter than 0.5 mm, smooth, glabrous.

4.5-7 mm, lengths to 3.5 times widths, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, drab;

florets 3-5;

rachilla internodes usually shorter than 1 mm, smooth.

Glumes

broadly lanceolate, 1/2 as long as to subequal to the adjacent lemmas, distinctly keeled;

lower glumes 3-veined;

upper glumes 4-4.5(7+) mm, 3-veined;

calluses usually with a crown of hairs, sometimes glabrous or diffusely webbed;

lemmas 5-7.5 mm, lanceolate, 5-veined, distinctly keeled, keels, marginal veins, and sometimes the lateral veins short- to long-villous or softly puberulent, rarely glabrous, lateral veins moderately prominent, intercostal regions smooth, glabrous, margins glabrous, apices acute;

palea keels scabrous to pectinate-ciliate, intercostal regions glabrous;

anthers vestigial (0.1-0.2 mm) or (2)2.5-3.5 (4) mm.

lanceolate, slightly unequal, distinctly keeled, keels papillate or scabrous;

lower glumes 3-veined;

calluses glabrous or with a crown of hairs, hairs 0.1-0.2 mm;

lemmas 3-4.5 mm, lanceolate, distinctly keeled, glabrous or the keels and marginal veins short-villous to midlength, intercostal regions sparsely puberulent near the base, margins glabrous, apices acute;

palea keels scabrous, sometimes softly puberulent at midlength;

anthers 1.5-3 mm.

2n

= 28.

= 42, 84.

Poa douglasii

Poa unilateralis

Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Poa douglasii is a dioecious endemic that grows on coastal sand dunes in California, a habitat that is being invaded by exotic species. It is rare north of Mendocino. Its hairy rachises distinguish P. douglasii from all other species of Poa in the Flora region. It differs from P. macrantha (see next), which occupies similar habitats, in this and in its usually longer glumes and lemmas.

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

Poa unilateralis grows on grassy bluffs and cliffs near the Pacific coast of North America, from Washington to California.

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

Key
1. Lemmas villous on the keels and marginal veins for more than 1/3 the length of the lemmas; blades usually involute, the cauline and innovation blades similar
subsp. pachypholis
1. Lemmas glabrous or the keels and marginal veins villous or puberulent for less than 1/5 the length of the lemmas; blades flat or folded, the cauline blades sometimes wider and thicker than the innovation blades
subsp. unilateralis
Source FNA vol. 24, p. 551. FNA vol. 24, p. 594.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Madropoa > subsect. Madropoa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Secundae > subsect. Halophytae
Sibling taxa
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. 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. trivialis, P. wheeleri, P. wolfii, P. ×gaspensis, P. ×limosa, P. ×nematophylla
Subordinate taxa
P. unilateralis subsp. pachypholis, P. unilateralis subsp. unilateralis
Name authority Nees Scribn.
Web links