This plant can be weedy or invasive according to the authoritative sources noted below.This plant may be known by one or more common names in different places, and some are listed above. Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation.
In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 527 of the 617 tetrads. KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS (Poa pratensis) Description: Kentucky bluegrass is a member of the Poaceae or grass family. A rhizomatous perennial herb of meadows, pastures, waysides and waste places; formerly an important constituent of commercial seed mixtures, and still used in the sowing of amenity and wild-flower grasslands.
pratensis Subspecies alpigena is known from only alpine habitats in the vicinity of Mount Washington, Coos County, NH. Poa pratensis forms a valuable pasture plant, characteristic of well-drained, fertile soil. It is native and of regional conservation concern. Poa pratensis. It gives Kentucky the name Bluegrass State. Poa pratensis, commonly known as Kentucky bluegrass, smooth meadow-grass, or common meadow-grass, is a perennial species of grass native to Europe, Asia, North America, and northern Africa. Ecological Framework for Poa pratensis The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of … P. pratensis is certainly native to Europe and Asia and probably some countries of northern Africa. Poa pratensis forms a valuable pasture plant, characteristic of … USDA Native Status: L48(NI),AK(NI),HI(I),PR(I),CAN (NI),GL(N),SPM(I) A densely tufted grass with smooth, erect stems topped by pyramidal clusters of ovoid, green spikelets borne on thread-like, spreading or ascending branches.
Foliage Mostly basal, nearly glabrous; blades V-shaped, narrow, 1-7 in. The report of this species in VT by Kartesz (1999) was erroneous. P. pratensis ssp. Early European colonists brought seed of Kentucky bluegrass to the New World in mixtures with other grasses. It outcompetes native plant species and reduces biodiversity in invaded areas (North Dakota Department of Agriculture, 2005). It has been introduced to Mexico, South America, southern Africa, Atlantic islands, Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific islands including Hawaii. [web application]. Culms of the plant are erect to decumbent at the base, slender and wiry, and nearly circular to slightly flattened. Leaf blades Poa nemoralis: ligules mostly 0.2-0.7 mm long and base of lemma with sparse soft, tangled hairs (vs. P. palustris, with ligules mostly 1.5-6 mm long and base of lemma with abundant soft, tangled hairs).
Sod forming grasses such as Poa pratensis are known to have negative effects on native prairie species in the northern Great Plains of the United States (Larson & Larson, 2010 and references therein). It is a versatile grass, preferring well-drained, neutral soils of moderate to high fertility, and tolerant of grazing and trampling. 2020. Very common in Leicestershire and Rutland.
Kentucky bluegrass is a cool season, mat-forming perennial grass that can reach heights up to 4 feet.
Kentucky bluegrass. This grass is often cultivated as a lawn or pasture grass.