Common name: Canada Bluegrass
Poa compressa L. APNI* 
Description: Stiff perennial to 0.6 m high, spreading by wiry rhizomes.
Culms erect or geniculately ascending, strongly compressed, mostly smooth, glabrous, 4–6-noded. Sheaths strongly compressed and keeled, glabrous, mostly scabrous; ligule membranous, obtuse, 0.5–3 mm long; blade 2–12 cm long, 1–4 mm wide, folded, linear, usually stiff, glabrous, smooth or ± scabrous.
Inflorescence usually contracted and dense, narrowly oblong to ovate, 1–10 cm long. Spikelets rather densely clustered, ovate, elliptic or oblong, 3–8 mm long, 3–10-flowered. Glumes ovate, oblong or elliptic, shortly acute to subobtuse, 3-nerved. Lemmas very obscurely 5-nerved; web copious or scanty or absent; palea scabrous on the keel.
Flowering: Flowers in summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Usually grows as a weed of pastures. Native of Eur. & SW Asia.
NSW subdivisions: *CC, *NT, *CT, *ST, *NWS, *CWS
Other Australian states: *Qld *Vic. *Tas.
Text by Jacobs, S.W.L., Whalley, R.D.B. & Wheeler, D.J.B.
Taxon concept: Jacobs, S.W.L., Whalley, R.D.B. & Wheeler, D.J.B.
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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