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bog bluegrass, eastern bog bluegrass

Chambers' bluegrass

Habit Plants perennial; usually pale green; loosely tufted, slender, usually neither stoloniferous nor rhizomatous, occasionally with short, slender rhizomes. Plants perennial; loosely tufted or with solitary shoots, short-rhizomatous.
Culms

10-55 cm, very slender, weak.

10-50 cm, erect or the bases decumbent, terete or weakly compressed;

nodes terete, 0-1 exserted.

Sheaths

closed for 1/4 - 3/5 their length, terete, smooth or sparsely scabrous, margins not ciliate;

ligules 0.5-2 mm, smooth or sparsely scabrous, truncate;

blades 0.8-2 mm wide, flat, thin, soft, apices narrowly prow-shaped.

closed for 1/3 – 7/8 their length, terete to slightly compressed, smooth, glabrous, bases of basal sheaths glabrous, distal sheath lengths (1.15)1.5-4.6(6.6) times blade lengths;

collars smooth, glabrous;

ligules 0.5-2(2.5) mm, smooth, truncate to obtuse;

innovation blades similar to the cauline blades;

cauline blades gradually reduced in length distally, 2-5 mm wide, flat or folded, smooth or the adaxial surfaces sparsely scabrous, primarily over the veins, apices broadly prow-shaped, flag leaf blades 0.7-6 cm.

Basal branching

mostly extravaginal.

all or mainly extravaginal.

Panicles

3-8(12) cm, lax, open, sparse;

nodes with 1-2(3) branches;

branches (2)3-7 cm, spreading to reflexed, capillary, angled, angles scabrous.

2-9 cm, erect, lanceoloid to ovoid, tightly to loosely contracted, with 15-35 spikelets, proximal internodes shorter than 2 cm;

nodes with 1-2 branches;

branches 0.9-3.2 cm, erect to ascending or slightly spreading, terete, smooth or sparsely scabrous, with 1-4 spikelets.

Spikelets

3.2-5.2 mm, laterally compressed, broadly lanceolate to ovate;

florets 2-3(5);

rachilla internodes smooth, glabrous.

6-12 mm, lengths to 3 times widths, laterally compressed, not sexually dimorphic;

florets 2-7;

rachilla internodes 0.8-1.5 mm, smooth or sparsely scabrous, glabrous.

Glumes

narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, thin, distinctly keeled, keels scabrous;

lower glumes 1-3-veined;

upper glumes shorter than or subequal to the adjacent lemmas;

calluses sparsely webbed;

lemmas 2.5-4 mm, lanceolate, green, distinctly keeled, keels and marginal veins short-villous, extending 2/3 – 4/5 the keel length, lateral veins fairly prominent, intercostal regions glabrous, apices obtuse to broadly acute, white, faintly bronze-colored or not;

palea keels scabrous;

anthers 0.2-0.8 mm.

3/5- 4/5 as long as the adjacent lemmas, distinctly keeled;

lower glumes 3-veined;

calluses of at least some proximal florets sparsely webbed, with 1-2 mm hairs, others glabrous, rarely all glabrous;

lemmas 5-7 mm, lanceolate, 5-7-veined, distinctly keeled, smooth or sparsely finely scabrous, glabrous throughout or the keels and marginal veins sparsely softly puberulent over the proximal 1/4, lateral veins moderately prominent, intercostal regions glabrous, margins glabrous, apices acute;

palea keels sparsely scabrous, intercostal regions glabrous;

anthers vestigial (0.1-0.2 mm), aborted late in development, or 1.8-3.7 mm.

2n

= unknown.

= unknown.

Poa paludigena

Poa chambersii

Distribution
from FNA
IA; IL; IN; MI; MN; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; VA; WI; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Poa paludigena is an inconspicuous species restricted to the northeastern United States. It grows in shady bogs and fens, often underneath other plants. Poa trivialis (p. 568) sometimes grows with P. paludigena; the former has distinctly longer ligules and anthers. Plants from the middle Appalachian Mountains are sometimes confused with P. sylvestris (p. 512). Poa paludigena is generally shorter and more slender, has shorter panicles with only 1-2 branches per node, is glabrous between the lemma veins and on the palea keels, has shorter anthers, and grows in colder habitats.

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

Poa chambersii is known only from upland forest openings in the Cascades of western Oregon, where it is dioecious, and from high elevations on Steens Mountain in southeastern Oregon, where it is gynodioecious. It resembles P. rhizomata (see previous), but has more closed sheaths, shorter ligules, less pubescent or glabrous lemmas, and lacks a well-developed web. It approaches P. cusickii subsp. purpurascens (p. 562), but is rhizomatous and sexually reproducing. It differs from P. wheeleri (p. 546) in having glabrous sheaths and flat or folded, glabrous innovation blades.

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

Source FNA vol. 24, p. 572. FNA vol. 24, p. 548.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Oreinos Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Madropoa > subsect. Poa
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. 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. 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. 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. unilateralis, P. wheeleri, P. wolfii, P. ×gaspensis, P. ×limosa, P. ×nematophylla
Name authority Fernald & Wiegand Soreng
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