Scientific Name
Poa wheeleri Vasey (Synonyms: Poa nervosa)
Common Name(s)
Wheeler's bluegrass
Tribe / Family Name
Poeae
Flowering Period
June to August
Symbol
POWH2
Description
Wheeler’s bluegrass is a native cool-season perennial bunchgrass (sometimes with short rhizomes). Culms ranges from 35–80 cm in height. Its inflorescence is a loosely contracted to open panicle usually 5–12 cm long, ovoid to pyramidal, and erect or often nodding. Spikelets are 5.5–10 mm long, ovate, laterally compressed, loosely flowered, 2- to 7-flowered, and unawned. Ligules are up to 2 mm long, membranous, acute, obtuse, or truncate, usually entire, ciliolate, and puberulent abaxially.
General Info
Wheeler's bluegrass can be found along grassy slopes and ridges, in open woods, meadows, and montane to subalpine habitats.
Similar Species
Wheeler’s bluegrass may look similar to other bluegrass (Poa) plants, especially Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis). To distinguish these two species from each other, look at the spikelets and lemmas. Wheeler’s bluegrass has larger spikelets with loosely arranged, stongly-nerved lemmas that lack a webbed base. Kentucky bluegrass has smaller spikelets, lemmas that tightly overlap each other, and obscured lateral veins, and has webbed hairs at the base. Wheeler’s bluegrass is also different from Kentucky bluegrass because the former does not have long, erect basal leaves and is not sod-forming.
Picture of growth habit.
Inflorescence is a loosely contracted to open panicle (erect or often nodding).
Close-up picture of spikelet.
Close-up picture of lemma.
Close-up picture of membranous ligule.
Illustration of Wheeler's bluegrass. Glen Cole, 2017.
Distribution map of Wheeler's bluegrass. USDA PLANTS Database, 2022.