Poa bulbosa

Plants perennial; densely tufted, not rhizomatous, not stoloniferous. Basal branching intravaginal. Culms 15-60 cm, erect or spreading, bases bulbous. Sheaths closed for about 1/4 their length, terete, lowest sheaths with swollen bases; ligules 1-3 mm, smooth or scabrous, apices obtuse to acute; blades 1-2.5 mm wide, flat, thin, lax, soon withering. Panicles 3-12 cm, ovoid; nodes with 2-5 branches; branches ascending to spreading, terete, usually smooth or sparsely scabrous, infrequently moderately scabrous. Spikelets 3-5 mm, laterally compressed, usually bulbiferous; florets 3-7, the basal floret, and sometimes additional florets, normal; rachilla internodes smooth, glabrous. Glumes keeled, keels scabrous; lower glumes 3-veined; upper glumes shorter than or subequal to the lowest lemmas; calluses webbed or glabrous; lemmas 3-4 mm, lanceolate, keeled, glabrous or the keels and marginal veins short- to long-villous, intercostal regions glabrous or softly puberulent, apices acute; paleas scabrous, keels often softly puberulent at midlength; anthers 1.2-1.5 mm and functional, sometimes aborted late in development, sometimes not developed. 2n = 14, 21, 28, 39, 42, 45.

Distribution

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Wash., Del., Wis., W.Va., N.J., N.Y., Wyo., N.Mex., Tex., La., N.C., Tenn., Pa., Nev., Va., Colo., Calif., Ark., Vt., Ill., Ga., Ind., Iowa, N.Dak., Nebr., Okla., S.Dak., Ariz., Idaho, Conn., Md., Mass., Ohio, Utah, Mo., Minn., Mich., Kans., Mont., Oreg., Ky.

Discussion

Poa bulbosa is a European species that is now established in the Flora region. In southern Europe and the Middle East, it is considered an important early spring forage.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Poa bulbosa subsp. bulbosa, Poa bulbosa subsp. vivipara

Key

1	Spikelets not bulbiferous	Poa bulbosa subsp. bulbosa
1	All or some spikelets bulbiferous	Poa bulbosa subsp. vivipara