Smooth Meadow-grass
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| Poa pratensis L. |
Smooth Meadow-grass (Poa pratensis) is a species of grass native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa.
It is a herbaceous perennial plant, growing to 30-70 cm tall, occasionally 90 cm. The leaves are narrow-linear, up to 20 cm long and 3-5 mm broad, smooth or slightly roughened, with a rounded to truncate ligule 1-2 mm long. The flower panicle is 10-20 cm long, conic, with the basal whorls of 3-5 branchlets; the spikelets are oval, green, 3-6 mm long, with 2-5 flowers.
Poa pratensis is the type species of the grass family Poaceae.
There are two ill-defined subspecies:
- Poa pratensis subsp. pratensis - temperate regions
- Poa pratensis subsp. colpodea - arctic
[edit] Cultivation and uses
Smooth Meadow-grass is a very important meadow plant, used extensively by grazing livestock like cattle and sheep. It has also become one of the most popular turf grasses in North America, where it has been re-named "Kentucky Bluegrass". This re-naming is not accepted within the species' native area. After Kentucky trademarked their name in 1990, many seed and nursery outfits that had previously referred to the grass as "Kentucky Bluegrass" began to call the product "Shenendoah Bluegrass".
[edit] References
