Poa saltuensis
Poa occidentalis
old-pasture blue grass
New Mexican bluegrass, New Mexico bluegrass
20-95 cm tall, 0.8-1.5 mm thick.
20-110 cm.
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 (1/5)1/4 – 1/2(3/5) their length, distinctly compressed and keeled, usually densely retrorsely scabrous, rarely sparsely scabrous, margins not ciliate;
ligules 3-12 mm, densely scabrous, acute to acuminate;
blades (1.2)1.5-6(10) mm wide, flat, lax, apices broadly prow-shaped.
mainly pseudointravaginal.
mixed intra- and extra-vaginal.
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.
(6)12-40 cm, lax, eventually open, spikelets numerous, with 2-7 branches per node;
branches (3)5-18(23) cm, eventually spreading or drooping, angled, angles densely scabrous, with (5)8-40(120) spikelets.
3-5.6 mm, laterally compressed;
florets 2-5;
rachilla internodes glabrous, usually shorter than 1 mm.
(3)4-7(8) mm, laterally compressed, with 3-7 florets;
rachilla internodes shorter than 1 mm, smooth.
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.
distinctly keeled, keels scabrous;
lower glumes 2-3.5 mm, 1-veined;
upper glumes 2.5-4.2 mm, shorter than or subequal to the lowest lemmas;
calluses webbed;
lemmas 2.6-4.2 mm, narrowly lanceolate, distinctly keeled, scabrous distally, keels and marginal veins short- to long-villous, keel hairs extending to midlength, marginal vein hairs to 1/3 the lemma length, lateral veins and intercostal regions usually sparsely softly puberulent, lateral veins prominent, apices narrowly acute;
palea keels scabrous, glabrous;
anthers 0.3-1 mm.
= 14, 28.
Poa saltuensis
Poa occidentalis
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 occidentalis grows in natural openings and disturbed sites in mixed coniferous forests of the southwestern United States. It is one of the three diploid species of Poa known to be native to North America. The tetraploid count was obtained from a single giant individual. Poa occidentalis has been confused with P. tracyi (p. 543), but P. occidentalis consistently has shorter, well-developed anthers and lacks rhizomes. It also usually has longer ligules relative to the blade width, and is shorter-lived. A few plants are intermediate in some characteristics. Small plants of P. occidentalis sometimes resemble P. reflexa (see next).
(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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