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Wolf's bluegrass

nodding bluegrass

Habit Plants perennial; not rhizomatous, not stoloniferous, loosely tufted. Plants perennial, short-lived; densely tufted, tuft bases narrow or not, not stoloniferous, not rhizomatous.
Culms

25-90 cm.

10-60 cm.

Sheaths

closed for 1/2 - 3/4 their length, smooth or sparsely scabrous, margins not ciliate;

ligules 0.3-2.1 mm, smooth or sparsely scabrous, truncate to obtuse, ciliolate;

blades 0.6-3.5 mm wide, flat.

closed for 1/3 – 2/3 their length, terete, smooth;

ligules 1.5-3.5 mm, smooth or sparsely scabrous;

blades 1.5-4 mm wide, flat, thin, soft, apices broadly prow-shaped.

Basal branching

mainly pseudointravaginal.

mixed intra- and extravaginal.

Panicles

7.5-15(18) cm, lax, pyramidal, open, sparse;

nodes with 1-3(5) branches;

branches 3-8 cm, ascending, straight to spreading, angled, angles prominent, scabrous.

4-15 cm, nodding, open, with numerous spikelets and 1-2 branches per node;

branches (2)3-7 cm, spreading to reflexed, lower branches usually reflexed, flexuous, usually terete, smooth or sparsely scabrous, with (3)6-18 spikelets.

Spikelets

4-6.5 mm, laterally compressed;

florets 2-5;

rachilla internodes to 1 mm, smooth, glabrous.

4-6 mm, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, usually partly to wholly purplish, with 3-5 florets;

rachilla internodes shorter than 1 mm, smooth.

Glumes

1/2-1/3 the length of the adjacent lemmas, distinctly keeled, keels scabrous;

lower glumes subulate to narrowly lanceolate, (1)3-veined;

upper glumes shorter than or subequal to the lowest lemmas;

calluses webbed;

lemmas (2.5)3.2-4.7 mm, lanceolate, green, distinctly keeled, keels and marginal veins long-villous, hairs extending up almost the whole keel length, lateral veins prominent, intercostal regions smooth, minutely bumpy, usually glabrous, rarely sparsely softly puberulent, apices acute, blunt, or pointed, white, not bronze;

palea keels softly puberulent at midlength, apices scabrous;

anthers (0.5)0.8-1.2(1.5) mm.

narrowly to broadly lanceolate, distinctly keeled, keels smooth or nearly so;

lower glumes 1-veined;

upper glumes shorter than or subequal to the lowest lemmas;

calluses webbed;

lemmas 2-3.5 mm, lanceolate, partly purple to fairly strongly purple, distinctly keeled, keels and marginal veins short- to long-villous, keels hairy for 2h-ls their length, lateral veins usually sparsely softly puberulent at least on 1 side, lateral veins obscure to moderately prominent, intercostal regions smooth, minutely bumpy, glabrous, apices acute, slightly bronze-colored or not;

palea keels scabrous, usually softly puberulent at midlength;

anthers 0.6-1 mm.

2n

= 28.

= 28.

Poa wolfii

Poa reflexa

Distribution
from FNA
AR; IA; IL; IN; MN; MO; OH; VA; WI
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Poa wolfii is an uncommon species that grows in boggy areas of eastern deciduous forests, primarily west of the Appalachian divide. It differs from P. sylvestris (p. 512) in having fewer branches, larger spikelets, and lemmas that are usually glabrous between the veins.

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

Poa reflexa grows in subalpine forests, meadows, and low alpine habitats, primarily in the central and southern Rocky Mountains. It usually grows on drier and more disturbed sites, and appears shorter-lived, than the frequently sympatric or parapatric P. leptocoma (p. 573), from which it differs in usually having hairs on the palea keels and lateral veins of the lemmas, and smooth panicle branches. In addition, P. reflexa is tetraploid, whereas P. leptocoma is hexaploid. Poa reflexa may resemble small plants of P. occidentalis (see previous) in habit.

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

Source FNA vol. 24, p. 514. FNA vol. 24, p. 538.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Sylvestres Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Homalopoa
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. 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. ×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. 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 Scribn. Vasey & Scribn.
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