Poa saltuensis
Poa interior
old-pasture blue grass
inland bluegrass, interior blue grass, woods blue grass
20-95 cm tall, 0.8-1.5 mm thick.
5-80 cm, usually slender, mostly erect or ascending, several to many arising together;
nodes terete or slightly compressed, (0)1-2(3) exserted, top node usually at 1/3 – 3/5 the culm length.
closed for 1/3-2/3 their length;
ligules 0.2-3(4) mm, smooth or sparsely scabrous, truncate to obtuse;
blades 1-3.6 (6) mm wide, flat, thin, lax, veins prominent.
closed for 1/10 – 1/5 their length, terete, bases of basal sheaths glabrous, distal sheath lengths (0.6)0.88-1.64 times blade lengths;
ligules 0.5-1.5(3) mm, sparsely to densely scabrous, apices truncate to obtuse, ciliolate;
blades 0.8-3 mm wide, mostly flat, thin, soft, appressed or abruptly ascending to spreading, straight or somewhat lax, apices narrowly prow-shaped.
mainly pseudointravaginal.
all or mostly extravaginal.
4-20(24) cm long, less than 1/4 the plant height, lax;
nodes with 1-3 branches;
branches ascending to spreading, lax, angled, angles prominent, scabrous.
(1.5)3-15(17) cm, lengths generally 2.5-4 times widths at maturity, usually erect, lax in shade forms, narrowly lanceoloid to ovoid, sparsely to moderately congested;
nodes with 2-5 branches;
branches 0.4-8(9) cm long, 1/4-1/2 the panicle length, ascending to widely spreading, fairly straight, slender to moderately stout, angled, angles moderately to densely scabrous.
3-5.6 mm, laterally compressed;
florets 2-5;
rachilla internodes glabrous, usually shorter than 1 mm.
3-6 mm, lengths 2-3 times widths, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, laterally compressed, usually not glaucous;
florets (1)2-3(5);
rachilla internodes usually shorter than 1 mm, smooth, muriculate, or scabrous, glabrous, hispidulous, or sparsely to densely puberulent, proximal internodes frequently curved.
2/3 – 3/4 as long as the adjacent lemmas, distinctly keeled;
lower glumes 1(3)-veined;
upper glumes shorter than or subequal to the lowest lemmas;
calluses webbed;
lemmas 2.4-4 mm, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, distinctly keeled, usually glabrous, bases of marginal veins rarely sparsely softly puberulent, lateral veins prominent, intercostal regions smooth, minutely bumpy, apices obtuse to sharply acute or acuminate;
palea keels scabrous;
anthers 0.4-1.5 mm.
lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, distinctly keeled, keels smooth or sparsely scabrous;
lower glumes 3-veined, long- or abruptly tapered to a slender point, lengths 4.5-6.3 times widths;
calluses usually webbed, infrequently glabrous in depauperate alpine specimens, webs usually scant, less than 1/2(2/3) the lemma length, frequently minute;
lemmas 2.4-4 mm, lanceolate, distinctly keeled, straight or gradually arched, not abruptly inwardly arched at the junction with the scarious apices, keels and marginal veins short-villous, hairs extending 2/3 – 3/4 the keel length, lateral veins usually glabrous, rarely sparsely puberulent, obscure, intercostal regions smooth, sometimes weakly muriculate, glabrous, margins not or slightly inrolled, glabrous, apices acute, usually partially bronze-colored;
palea keels scabrous, intercostal regions glabrous;
anthers (1.1)1.3-2.5 mm.
= 28, 42, 56.
Poa saltuensis
Poa interior
Poa saltuensis grows in woodlands of the north-central and northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, extending south to Tennessee. The two subspecies are sometimes treated as species. The variation between the two overlaps and is correlated to some extent with ecology and geography. Poa marcida (p. 512), a western species once included in P. saltuensis, differs in having closed sheaths and attenuate lemmas.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Poa interior, a native species, grows from Alaska to western Quebec and New York, south to Arizona and New Mexico. It is restricted to the Flora region. It is fairly common from boreal forests to low alpine habitats of the Rocky Mountains. It grows in subxeric to mesic habitats, such as mossy rocks and scree, usually in forests. It is usually tetraploid.
In alpine habitats, Poa interior is often quite short, and often sympatric with P. glauca (see next). It is most reliably distinguished from P. glauca by lemmas that are glabrous between the marginal veins and keels or, rarely, sparsely puberulent on the lateral veins. It usually also differs from P. glauca subsp. rupicola in having at least a few hairs on its calluses. It can be distinguished from P. nemoralis (see previous) by its longer ligules, lower top culm node, and wider glumes and lemmas. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish from P. palustris (p. 574), but differs in having lemmas with wider hyaline margins and straight or gradually arched keels, a densely tufted habit, and scantly webbed calluses.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Anthers 0.4-1 mm long; lemma apices obtuse to acute, firm or scarious for up to 0.25 mm | subsp. languida |
1. Anthers 0.9-1.5 mm long; lemma apices acute to acuminate, scarious for 0.25-0.5 mm | subsp. saltuensis |
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