Poa L., Sp. Pl. 1: 67. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5: 31. 1754; Boiss., Fl. Or. 5: 598. 1884; Stapf. in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 7: 337. 1897; Bor, Grasses Burma, Ceyl. Ind. Pak. 547. 1960; Sharma & Khosla, Grasses Punj. and Chandigarh 44. 1989; Zhu et al., Fl. China @ eFloras.org 22: 257; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 389.

Annuals or perennials. Leaf blades usually flat; ligule hyaline, membranous or papery. Inflorescence an open or contracted panicle. Spikelets 2-6-flowered, laterally compressed; rachilla disarticulating above the glumes and between the lemmas. Florets bisexual, the uppermost reduced. Glumes unequal or subequal, membranous, persistent, 1-3-nerved, acute or obtuse, keeled, usually glabrous. Lemmas membranous but often with hyaline margins, 5-7- nerved, nerves converging towards apex, keeled. Callus short, obtuse, often bearded. Palea shorter than lemma, 2-keeled. Lodicules 2. Stamens 3. Caryopsis ovoid, oblong or linear, free or adherent to palea.

575 species

Poa annua L., Sp. Pl. 1: 68. 1753; Boiss., Fl. Or. 5: 601. 1884; Stapf. in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 7: 345. 1897; Bor, Grasses Burma, Ceyl. Ind. Pak. 555. 1960; Collett, Fl. Siml. ed. 2: 628. 1921 (Reprint 1980); Sharma & Khosla, Grasses Punj. and Chandigarh 44. 1989; Sharma & Kachroo, Fl. Jammu (Illustr.) 2: t. 302. 1983; Dhaliwal & Sharma, Fl. Kullu Dist. 696. 1999; Kaur & Sharma, Fl. Sirmaur 686. 2004; Singh & Sharma, Fl. Chamba Dist. 813. 2006; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 22: 263; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 397.

Annuals. Culms 10-30 cm long, erect or decumbent-ascending, single or tufted. Nodes glabrous. Leaf blades 5-15 cm x 2-4 mm, linear, flat, flaccid, abruptly tapered to a point or bluntly hooded tip, scaberulous on margins; leaf sheaths slightly compressed, thin, glabrous; ligule membranous, ovate-rounded, 2-3 mm long. Inflorescence ovate, open, erect panicle, 3-10 cm long; branches 1-4 cm long, filiform, smooth, erect or erecto-patent, opposite or in whorls. Spikelets oblong or lanceolate-oblong, 4-6 mm long, 3-7-flowered, shining; rachilla prolonged beyond florets. Glumes subequal; lower glume herbaceous, ca. 2 mm long, lanceolate, acute, 1-nerved, keeled, margin and tips scarious; upper glume ca. 2.8 mm long, ovate-lanceolate, subacute, 3-nerved, scarious on margins, scaberulous on keels. Lemmas 2.8-3 mm long, membranous, often with hyaline margins, broadly ovate, ovate-oblong, 5-nerved, ciliate on keel and lateral nerves, broadly scarious-margined or margins hyaline. Palea slightly shorter than lemma, 2-keeled, keels villous. Stamens 3; anthers 0.6-0.8(-1) mm long.

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