Poa glauca

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes absent, or short. Butt sheaths herbaceous. Culms erect; 10–40 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-internodes terete; smooth. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths without keel, or keeled; smooth. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2.5 mm long; obtuse. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 2–8 cm long; 2–4 mm wide; stiff; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute; hooded.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open, or contracted; lanceolate, or ovate; dense, or loose; 2–10 cm long; 1–4 cm wide. Primary panicle branches spreading; 2–3 -nate. Panicle branches stiff; straight; scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 0.5–4 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; laterally compressed; 4–6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes obscured by lemmas; smooth. Floret callus glabrous, or woolly.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 3–4.5 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic, or ovate; 3–4.5 mm long; 1–1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; elliptic in profile; 3–4 mm long; membranous; much thinner above; much thinner on margins; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliate; hairy below. Lemma lateral veins stopping well short of apex. Lemma surface puberulous; hairy below; hairy on veins. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy below. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1 length of lemma. Palea keels scaberulous; eciliate; adorned above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 1.5–2 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet far east, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, China, Mongolia, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India. North America: Subarctic, eastern Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, southwest USA, and south-central USA. South America: southern South America.

NOTES Poeae. CEH.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.