Poa trivialis L.
rough-stalked meadow grass
Open, often wide-leaved, light to darkish green, stoloniferous perennial tufts, c. 20-90 cm; branching extravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light green, sometimes purplish, ± membranous, usually finely scabrid on ribs, especially near ligule, keeled. Ligule 2.5-10 mm, apically glabrous, entire, tapered to a point, abaxially with scattered very minute prickle-teeth. Leaf-blade 10-20 cm × 1.5-7 mm, soft, flat, finely scabrid on ribs or smooth; margins and fine pointed tip finely scabrid. Culm 40-70 cm, erect, internodes smooth, or finely scabrid below panicle. Panicle (5)-10-20 cm, usually open and very lax; rachis smooth to finely scabrid above, branches fine, spreading, finely, densely scabrid, with numerous spikelets toward tips. Spikelets 3-4 mm, 2-3-flowered, green or purplish. Glumes ± unequal, finely scabrid on nerves; lower 1.5-2.5 mm, 1-nerved, narrow-lanceolate, upper 2-3 mm, 3-nerved, elliptic- to ovate-lanceolate; tips fine, acute. Lemma 2-3 mm, 5-nerved, narrow-oblong, glabrous, but midnerve with short fine hairs on lower ½ and scabrid above hairs, marginal nerves with a few short hairs near base; margins and acute tip membranous. Palea 2-2.5 mm, keels extremely minutely scabrid, interkeel glabrous. Callus with long slender tuft of fine crinkled hairs. Rachilla ± 0.5 mm, glabrous. Lodicules 0.2-0.4 mm. Anthers 1.5-2 mm. Caryopsis c. 1.5 × 0.5 mm, tightly enclosed by anthoecium.
N.; S.: throughout; St.; Ch., A., C. Lowland to montane in grassland and pasture, on roadsides and in waste places.
Naturalised from Europe.
