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Western Wetland Flora

Field Office Guide to Plant Species

Bog Bluegrass
Poa leptocoma Trin.

JPG -- Species Photo JPG -- Distribution Map

Family: Grass (Gramineae)
Field Marks: This bluegrass lacks rhizomes has lemmas with a web at the base has relatively small panicles, and has spikelets up to 1/3 inch long.
Flowering: July-August
Habitat: Along streams, wet meadows, bogs, high in the mountains.
Habit: Perennial herb with fibrous roots.
Stems: Spreading, often rooting at the nodes, up to 2 feet tall, smooth.
Leaves: Elongated, narrow, flat, up to 1/6 inch wide, slightly folded at the tip, rough to the touch.
Flowers: Borne in spikelets, with the spikelets arranged in a small panicle up to 6 inches long; spikelets 2- to 6-flowered, flattened, purplish, up to 1/3 inch long; lemmas hairy, webbed at the base.
Sepals: 0.
Petals: 0.
Stamens: 3.
Pistils: Ovary superior, smooth.
Grains: Ellipsoid, smooth.
Notes: This grass is palatable to domestic livestock.

Previous Species -- Alkali Bluegrass (Poa juncifolia)
Return to Species List -- Group 2
Next Species -- Nevada Bluegrass (Poa nevadensis Vasey)

U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/plants/florawe/species/2/poalept.htm
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Page Last Modified: Saturday, 02-Feb-2013 06:24:08 EST
Reston, VA [vaww55]