Kentucky bluegrass
(Poa pratensis L.)

Overview

Appearance

Poa pratensis, commonly known as Kentucky Bluegrass or Common Meadow-grass, is a perennial species of grass. A long-lived sodgrass with rhizomes, growing 0.5-3 ft. (0.2-0.9 m) tall.

Foliage

Mostly basal, nearly glabrous; blades V-shaped, narrow, 1-7 in. (2.5-17.8 cm) long, with boat-shaped tips and two prominent veins along the center of the upper surface of the leaf which appear as miniature railroad tracks.

Flowers

The flower is its dense seed head. It flowers from May-July.

Fruit

Open, spreading, pyramidal panicle, 2-8 in. (5.1-20.3 cm) long, with panicle branches whorled in groups of 3 to 5; spikelets contain 3 to 5 florets; lemmas awnless but cobwebby-hairy at base.

Ecological Threat

Poa pratensis grows in lawns, roadsides and ditches. It is native to Europe, Asia, North America, and northern Africa.

Resources

• Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy

Selected Images

Maps

Invasive Listing Sources

• California Invasive Plant Council
• City of Ann Arbor Michigan Parks and Recreation
• Hoffman, R. & K. Kearns, Eds. 1997. Wisconsin manual of control recommendations for ecologically invasive plants. Wisconsin Dept. Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources. Madison, Wisconsin. 102pp.
• Invasive Plant Association of Wisconsin
• Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council - Significant Threat
• National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
• Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
• Pacific Northwest Exotic Pest Plant Council, 1998

References