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Wolf's bluegrass

rough blue grass, rough-sheath blue grass, rough-stalk blue grass

Habit Plants perennial; not rhizomatous, not stoloniferous, loosely tufted. Plants perennial, short-lived; somewhat loosely to densely tufted, usually weakly stoloniferous.
Culms

25-90 cm.

25-120 cm, decumbent to erect, sometimes trailing and rooting at the nodes, terete or weakly compressed;

nodes terete or slightly compressed, (0)1-3 exserted.

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 about 1/3-1/2 their length, compressed, usually densely scabrous, bases of basal sheaths glabrous, distal sheath lengths 0.5-4 times blade lengths;

collars smooth or scabrous, glabrous;

ligules 3-10 mm, scabrous, acute to acuminate;

blades 1-5 mm wide, flat, lax, soft, sparsely scabrous over the veins, margins scabrous, apices narrowly prow-shaped.

Basal branching

mainly pseudointravaginal.

intra-vaginal.

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.

8-25 cm, erect or lax, pyramidal, open, with 35-100+ spikelets;

nodes with 3-7 branches;

branches 2-8(10) cm, ascending to spreading, flexuous to fairly straight, angled, angles densely scabrous, crowded, with 5-35 spikelets in the distal 1/2-3/4.

Spikelets

4-6.5 mm, laterally compressed;

florets 2-5;

rachilla internodes to 1 mm, smooth, glabrous.

2.3-3.5 mm, lengths to 3 times widths, laterally compressed;

florets 2-4, bisexual;

rachilla internodes smooth or muriculate.

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.

distinctly keeled, keels scabrous;

lower glumes subulate to narrowly lanceolate, usually arched to sickle-shaped, 1-veined, distinctly shorter than the lowest lemmas;

calluses webbed, hairs over 2/3 the lemma length;

lemmas 2.3-3.5 mm, lanceolate, distinctly keeled, keels usually sparsely puberulent to 3/5 their length, marginal veins usually glabrous, infrequently the proximal 1/4 softly puberulent, intercostal regions smooth, glabrous, upper lemmas sometimes glabrous, lateral veins prominent, margins glabrous, apices acute;

palea keels smooth, muriculate, tuberculate, or minutely scabrous;

anthers 1.3-2 mm.

2n

= 28.

= 14.

Poa wolfii

Poa trivialis

Distribution
from FNA
AR; IA; IL; IN; MN; MO; OH; VA; WI
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AL; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; BC; LB; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Greenland
[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 trivialis is an introduced European species. Only Poa trivialis subsp. trivialis is present in the Flora region. Several cultivars have been planted for pastures and lawns, and have often escaped cultivation. Poa trivialis sometimes grows with P. paludigena (p. 572), but has distinctly longer ligules and anthers. It is easily recognized by its flat blades, long ligules, sickle-shaped lower glumes, prominent callus webs, and lemmas with pubescent keels and pronounced lateral veins.

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

Source FNA vol. 24, p. 514. FNA vol. 24, p. 568.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Sylvestres Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Poa > subg. Poa > sect. Pandemos
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. 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. unilateralis, P. wheeleri, P. wolfii, P. ×gaspensis, P. ×limosa, P. ×nematophylla
Name authority Scribn. L.
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