| Author | A. Gray | |
| Distribution | Mountains and Piedmont; disjunct to Brunswick County. The gaps in the Piedmont probably reflect under-collecting rather than actual absence. The Brunswick County record is from Bryant Mill Creek, subject to flooding by the nutrient-rich Cape Fear River. Many other "Piedmont" species occur there.
NY and southern Ont. to SD, south to northern FL and TX. | |
| Abundance | Uncommon throughout, except rare in the southern Coastal Plain. The website editors suggest a State Rank of S3. | |
| Habitat | Moist to mesic hardwoods and pine-hardwoods, streamsides, small floodplain forests. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting April-June. | |
| Identification | This bluegrass is very leafy compared with most of our other species, especially in the lower 1/3 of the stems. It may be confused with P. saltuensis, but the inflorescence has 3-6 branches per whorl (vs. 1-3 branches per whorl in P. saltuensis). From P. alsodes it differs in having pubescent marginal veins on the lemmas (vs. glabrous marginal veins in that species). | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
The genus Poa contains some 500 species globally, about 70 in N.A. A typical Poa species has a number of basal leaves, few stem leaves, and a terminal, open inflorescence. The inflorescence is composed of well-spaced whorls of 2-6 skinny branches, usually with short side branchlets and these bearing spikelets. Branches may be strongly ascending, horizontal, or reflexed. Spikelets are composed of 2-6 florets and are generally laterally compressed. Each glume and lemma is acute to blunt, but seldom acuminate as in many Festuca species. Unlike Festuca and Bromus, most Poa species have a small wispy tuft of white hairs at the base of each floret. | |
| Other Common Name(s) | Sylvan Bluegrass, Forest Bluegrass | |
| State Rank | S2S3 [S3] | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FACW link |
| USACE-emp | FACW link |
