Poa pratensis L.
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Authority
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.
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Family
Poaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Rhizomatous, forming a dense sod, or in tufts on long rhizomes in open ground; culms 3–10 dm; sheaths usually glabrous; blades soft, 2–5 mm wide, seldom narrower and involute; ligule shorter than wide; infl ovoid, fairly dense, with spreading or ascending branches, the lower mostly in sets of 5 or 4; spikelets 3–5-fld, with very short rachilla-joints; first glume 1.8–2.9 mm, the second 2.3–3 mm; lemmas distinctly 5-veined, thinly to densely hairy on the veins below but glabrous between them, webbed at base, the lowest 2.5–3.5 mm; anthers 1–1.4 mm; 2n=21–147. Moist or dry soil, avoiding acid soils and heavy shade, throughout the U.S. and far n., often cult. in lawns and meadows; in most of our range intr. from Europe, but probably native along our n. boundary and in Can. (P. angustifolia; P. subcaerulea) Some nematode-infested plants in the ne. part of our range have notably larger, 7-veined lemmas and often a reduced and stiff infl.
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Common Names
Kentucky-bluegrass