Poa
bluegrass
32 species
17 subspecies and varieties
17 subspecies and varieties
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Poa annua – annual blue grass
Distribution: Common weed throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Habitat: Lawns, gardens, roadsides, and waste ground to open woods.
Origin: Introduced
Flowers: March - August
Growth Duration: Annual, Biennial
Distribution: Common weed throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Habitat: Lawns, gardens, roadsides, and waste ground to open woods.
Origin: Introduced
Flowers: March - August
Growth Duration: Annual, Biennial
Poa arctica – Arctic bluegrass
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east to Rocky Mountains; circumpolar.
Habitat: Subalpine and alpine areas.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east to Rocky Mountains; circumpolar.
Habitat: Subalpine and alpine areas.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Poa bulbosa – bulbous bluegrass
Distribution: Both sides of the Cascades in Washington; throughout most of western North America, more scattered in central and eastern North America.
Habitat: Disturbed areas from the coast to midmontane.
Origin: Introduced
Flowers: March-June
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Both sides of the Cascades in Washington; throughout most of western North America, more scattered in central and eastern North America.
Habitat: Disturbed areas from the coast to midmontane.
Origin: Introduced
Flowers: March-June
Growth Duration: Perennial
• ssp. vivipara – bulbous blue grass
Poa compressa – flat-stem blue grass
Distribution: Alaska east to Newfoundland, south to most of the United States; common in the Pacific Northwest.
Habitat: Waste ground, roadsides, and gardens to open woods and meadows, usually where moist.
Origin: Introduced
Flowers: June - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Alaska east to Newfoundland, south to most of the United States; common in the Pacific Northwest.
Habitat: Waste ground, roadsides, and gardens to open woods and meadows, usually where moist.
Origin: Introduced
Flowers: June - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Poa confinis – coastline blue grass
Distribution: VAncouver Island, British Columbia, south along the coast to San Francisco, California.
Habitat: Coastal sand dunes.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May - June
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: VAncouver Island, British Columbia, south along the coast to San Francisco, California.
Habitat: Coastal sand dunes.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May - June
Growth Duration: Perennial
Poa curtifolia – little mountain blue grass
Origin: Native
Flowers: June - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Origin: Native
Flowers: June - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Poa cusickii – Cusick's bluegrass
Distribution: British Columbia south in the Olympics and Cascades to California, east to Saskatchewan and Colorado.
Habitat: Sagebrush plains to alpine meadows and ridges.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: British Columbia south in the Olympics and Cascades to California, east to Saskatchewan and Colorado.
Habitat: Sagebrush plains to alpine meadows and ridges.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
• ssp. cusickii – Cusick's bluegrass
• ssp. epilis – skyline bluegrass
• ssp. pallida – Cusick's bluegrass
• ssp. purpurascens – Cusick's bluegrass
Poa howellii – Howell's bluegrass
Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington and in the Columbia River Gorge; southern British Columbia to California.
Habitat: Lowland to montane rocky banks, forested slopes, and disturbed areas.
Origin: Native
Flowers: April-June
Growth Duration: Annual
Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington and in the Columbia River Gorge; southern British Columbia to California.
Habitat: Lowland to montane rocky banks, forested slopes, and disturbed areas.
Origin: Native
Flowers: April-June
Growth Duration: Annual
Poa laxiflora – loose-flower blue grass
Distribution: Southern Alaska south to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington and Multnomah, Clackamus and Benton Counties, Oregon.
Habitat: Moist woods to rocky, open slopes, from near sea level to lower elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Southern Alaska south to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington and Multnomah, Clackamus and Benton Counties, Oregon.
Habitat: Moist woods to rocky, open slopes, from near sea level to lower elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June
Growth Duration: Perennial
Poa leibergii – Leiberg's blue grass
Origin: Native
Flowers: Late March - May
Growth Duration: Perennial
Origin: Native
Flowers: Late March - May
Growth Duration: Perennial
Poa leptocoma – marsh blue grass
Origin: Native
Flowers: Late June - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Origin: Native
Flowers: Late June - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Poa macrantha – sand-dune blue grass
Distribution: Southern Vancouver Island and the islands of Puget Sound, south along the coast to Mendocino County, California.
Habitat: Chiefly on sand dunes.
Origin: Native
Flowers: April - July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Southern Vancouver Island and the islands of Puget Sound, south along the coast to Mendocino County, California.
Habitat: Chiefly on sand dunes.
Origin: Native
Flowers: April - July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Poa nemoralis – woodland bluegrass
Origin: Introduced
Flowers: May - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Origin: Introduced
Flowers: May - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Poa palustris – fowl blue grass
Distribution: Introduced and widely distributed through Alaska and Canada, south to northern California and Virginia.
Habitat: Sea level to open meadows and forested areas in the mountains, always where moist.
Origin: Introduced
Flowers: May - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Introduced and widely distributed through Alaska and Canada, south to northern California and Virginia.
Habitat: Sea level to open meadows and forested areas in the mountains, always where moist.
Origin: Introduced
Flowers: May - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Poa paucispicula – Alaska blue grass
Origin: Native
Flowers: Late June - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Origin: Native
Flowers: Late June - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Poa pratensis – Kentucky bluegrass
Distribution: Throughout Washington; common throughout temperate world.
Habitat: Moist, distrurbed areas at from the coast to middle elevations.
Origin: Both native and introduced
Flowers: April - October
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Throughout Washington; common throughout temperate world.
Habitat: Moist, distrurbed areas at from the coast to middle elevations.
Origin: Both native and introduced
Flowers: April - October
Growth Duration: Perennial
• ssp. pratensis – Kentucky blue grass
Poa secunda
Distribution: Widely distributed throughout Washington; Alaska south to California, east to the Rocky Mountains.
Habitat: Grasslands and forest openings from sea-level to the alpine
Origin: Native
Flowers: April-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Widely distributed throughout Washington; Alaska south to California, east to the Rocky Mountains.
Habitat: Grasslands and forest openings from sea-level to the alpine
Origin: Native
Flowers: April-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
• ssp. juncifolia – alkali bluegrass, big bluegrass, Nevada bluegrass
• ssp. secunda – curly blue grass
Poa stenantha – narrow-flowered bluegrass
Origin: Native
Origin: Native
• var. stenantha – narrow-flower blue grass
Poa suksdorfii – western blue grass
Origin: Native
Flowers: July - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Origin: Native
Flowers: July - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Poa trivialis – rough-stalk blue grass
Origin: Introduced
Flowers: May - July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Origin: Introduced
Flowers: May - July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Poa wheeleri – Wheeler's blue grass
Origin: Native
Flowers: April - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Origin: Native
Flowers: April - August
Growth Duration: Perennial
