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bog bluegrass, eastern bog bluegrass

bluegrass

Habit Plants perennial; usually pale green; loosely tufted, slender, usually neither stoloniferous nor rhizomatous, occasionally with short, slender rhizomes. Plants perennial; densely tufted, not stoloniferous, not rhizomatous.
Culms

10-55 cm, very slender, weak.

10-35 cm, erect or the bases decumbent;

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 1/4-3/4 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

mostly extravaginal.

intra-vaginal.

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.

2-8 cm, erect, narrowly lanceoloid to ovoid, contracted, congested;

nodes with 1-2 branches;

branches 0.5-3 cm, erect, terete to angled, scabrous.

Spikelets

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

florets 2-3(5);

rachilla internodes smooth, glabrous.

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, 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.

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

= unknown.

= unknown.

Poa paludigena

Poa ×nematophylla

Distribution
from FNA
IA; IL; IN; MI; MN; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; VA; WI; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; ID; MT; ND; UT; WY; AB; BC; MB; SK
[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 ×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. 572. FNA vol. 24, p. 562.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Oreinos Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Madropoa > subsect. Epiles
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. 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. unilateralis, P. wheeleri, P. wolfii, P. ×gaspensis, P. ×limosa
Synonyms P. cusickii subsp. pubens
Name authority Fernald & Wiegand Rydb.
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