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Howell's blue grass

Alaska blue grass, few-flower bluegrass

Habit Plants usually annual, rarely longer-lived; densely tufted, tuft bases narrow; not stoloniferous, not rhizomatous. Plants perennial; slightly or loosely tufted, not stoloniferous, not rhizomatous.
Culms

(10) 25-80(120) cm tall, 0.4-1.75 mm thick, usually erect;

nodes terete, usually 1-2 exserted.

10-30 cm.

Sheaths

closed for 1/2 - 7/8 their length, usually weakly compressed and keeled, usually scabrous, rarely smooth;

ligules 1.5-5(10) mm, smooth or scabrous, acute;

blades 1-7(10) mm wide, flat, lax, soft, finely scabrous, apices narrowly prow-shaped, cauline blades 2-10 cm.

closed for 1/4 - 3/5 their length, terete;

ligules 1-2 mm, smooth or sparsely scabrous, truncate to obtuse;

blades 1-3 mm wide, flat, thin, soft, apices broadly prow-shaped.

Basal branching

intravaginal.

mainly extravaginal.

Panicles

10-25(30) cm, erect, eventually open, with (1)3-5(7) branches per node;

branches eventually spreading or reflexed, fairly straight, angled, angles usually moderately to densely scabrous, rarely sparsely scabrous.

2.5-10 cm, lax to nearly erect, open, sparse, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches (2)3-6 cm, ascending to spreading, lower branches infrequently reflexed, lax or drooping, capillary, terete to slightly sulcate, usually smooth, rarely some branches within a panicle sparsely scabrous, with 1-3(5) spikelets.

Spikelets

(2)4-6 mm, laterally compressed, with 2-5 florets;

rachilla internodes about 1 mm, smooth, usually softly puberulent, infrequently glabrous.

4-6 mm, laterally compressed, broadly lanceolate to ovate, usually dark purple, with 3-5 florets;

rachilla internodes smooth, glabrous.

Glumes

slightly unequal, lanceolate, distinctly keeled, keels and sometimes the lateral veins sparsely to moderately scabrous;

lower glumes 1-3-veined;

upper glumes shorter than or subequal to the lowest lemmas;

calluses of some or all florets sparsely webbed;

lemmas 2.5-3.5 mm, lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, distinctly keeled, crisply puberulent proximally, hairs evenly distributed, finely scabrous distally, lateral veins obscure to prominent, margins narrowly hyaline, glabrous, apices narrowly acute, infrequently anthocyanic;

palea keels sparsely scabrous, glabrous or softly puberulent at midlength, intercostal regions usually softly puberulent;

anthers 3, 0.2-1 mm.

lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, thin, distinctly keeled, keels smooth or nearly so;

lower glumes 1-veined;

upper glumes shorter than or subequal to the lowest lemmas;

calluses sparsely webbed;

lemmas 3-4 mm, broadly lanceolate, usually strongly purple, distinctly keeled, thin, keels and marginal veins short- to long-villous, keels hairy for 1/2-1/3 their length, lateral veins glabrous, intercostal regions smooth, glabrous, margins glabrous, not infolded, apices acute, sometimes slightly bronze-colored;

palea keels sparsely scabrous at midlength;

anthers 0.4-1 mm.

2n

= unknown.

= 28, 42.

Poa howellii

Poa paucispicula

Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; MT; WA; AB; BC; NT; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Poa howellii grows primarily on rocky banks and wooded slopes, from the coastal ranges of southern British Columbia to southern California. It differs from P. bolanderi (see above) in having puberulent, rather than smooth or scabrous, lemmas, and in growing at lower elevations, mostly from near sea level to 1000 m.

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

Poa paucispicula grows in arctic and alpine regions, from the north coast of Alaska and the western Northwest Territories south to Washington, Idaho, and Wyoming; it also grows in arctic far east Russia. It is a delicate species that prefers open, mesic, rocky slopes. It has sometimes been included in P. leptocoma (p. 573), a member of Poa sect. Oreinos. It differs from P. leptocoma in having smoother branches, fewer spikelets, and broader glumes. Chloroplast DNA studies confirm that it is not closely related to species of sect. Oreinos; ITS data support its relationship to P. leptocoma.

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

Source FNA vol. 24, p. 534. FNA vol. 24, p. 538.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Homalopoa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Homalopoa
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. douglasii, P. eminens, P. fendleriana, P. glauca, P. hartzii, 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. 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
Synonyms P. bolanderi var. howellii P. leptocoma var. paucispicula, P. leptocoma subsp. paucispicula
Name authority Vasey & Scribn. Scribn. & Merr.
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