Poa nemoralis |
Poa chaixii |
|
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Eurasian woodland bluegrass, forest blue grass, interior bluegrass (ssp. interior), wood blue grass, woodland bluegrass, woods bluegrass (ssp. nemoralis) |
broadleaf bluegrass, Chaix's bluegrass |
|
Habit | Plants perennial; green or glaucous; densely tufted, not stoloniferous, not rhizomatous. | Plants perennial; densely tufted, not stoloniferous, not rhizomatous. |
Culms | 30-80 cm, mostly erect, smooth below the panicles; nodes slightly compressed, 2-5 exserted, top node at 1/2 - 3/4 the culm length. |
50-120 cm, stout. |
Sheaths | closed for 1/10 – 1/5 their length, terete, bases of basal sheaths glabrous, distal sheath lengths 0.45-1 (1.1) times blade lengths; ligules 0.2-0.8(1) mm, sparsely to densely scabrous, apices truncate, minutely ciliolate; blades 0.8-3 mm wide, mostly flat, appressed, abruptly ascending to spreading, straight or somewhat lax, apices narrowly prow-shaped. |
closed for 1/2 - 3/4 their length, distinctly compressed, keels winged, bases of basal sheaths glabrous; ligules 1-2 mm, smooth or sparsely scabrous, apices truncate; blades (4)6-15 mm wide, flat or folded, apices broadly and abruptly prow-shaped. |
Basal branching | all or mostly extravaginal. |
extravaginal. |
Panicles | 7-16(20) cm, lengths usually 2.5-4 times widths at maturity, usually erect, lax in shade forms, narrowly lanceoloid to ovoid, slightly to moderately congested; nodes with 2-5 branches; branches ascending to widely spreading, fairly straight, slender to moderately stout, angled, angles moderately to densely scabrous. |
10-20 cm, ovoid to pyramidal, open, spikelets numerous, with 3-5 branches per node; branches ascending to spreading, angled, angles densely scabrous. |
Spikelets | 3-8 mm, lengths 2.5-3.5 times widths, narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, laterally compressed, usually not glaucous; florets (1)2-5; rachilla internodes usually shorter than 1 mm, smooth, muriculate, or scabrous, usually puberulent, infrequently hispidulous or glabrous. |
4-9 mm, laterally compressed; florets 3-5; rachilla internodes about 1 mm, scabrous, glabrous. |
Glumes | subulate to narrowly lanceolate, distinctly keeled, keels smooth or sparsely scabrous, apices sharply acute to acuminate; lower glumes 3-veined, long-tapered to a slender point, lengths 6.4-11 times widths; upper glumes shorter than or subequal to the lowest lemmas; calluses webbed, hairs sparse, often short; lemmas 2.4-4 mm, proximal lemma widths less than 1/5 times lengths, narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, distinctly keeled, keels and marginal veins short-villous, lateral veins glabrous, obscure, intercostal regions smooth or muriculate, glabrous, margins glabrous, apices acute, usually partially bronze-colored; palea keels scabrous, intercostal regions glabrous; anthers 0.8-1.9 mm. |
distinctly keeled, keels scabrous; lower glumes 1-3-veined; calluses glabrous; lemmas 3.5-4.5 mm, narrowly lanceolate, distinctly keeled, scabrous, glabrous throughout, lateral veins prominent, apices acute; palea keels scabrous, glabrous; anthers 1.5-3 mm. |
2n | = 28, 35, 42, 48, 50, 56. |
= 14. |
Poa nemoralis |
Poa chaixii |
|
Distribution |
AK; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DE; IA; ID; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT; Greenland
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MN; NY; ON; QC |
Discussion | Introduced from northern Eurasia, Poa nemoralis is established primarily at low elevations in deciduous and mixed conifer/deciduous forests. It is now common in southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States, and is spreading in the west. It can be distinguished from P. glauca (p. 576) and P. interior (see next) by its consistently short ligules, high top culm node, relatively long flag leaf blades, and narrow glumes and lemmas. It is usually hexaploid. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Poa chaixii was introduced from Europe as an attractive ornamental, and has occasionally escaped. A population in southwestern Quebec has been extirpated. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 24, p. 574. | FNA vol. 24, p. 540. |
Parent taxa | Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Stenopoa | Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Homalopoa |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | L. | Vill. |
Web links |
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