Kentucky bluegrass: Poa pratensis (Cyperales: Poaceae): Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States

Kentucky bluegrass	USDA PLANTS Symbol: POPR U.S. Nativity: Habit: Grass or Grasslike
Poa pratensis L.

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Taxonomic Rank: Liliopsida: Cyperales: Poaceae

Appearance: Poa pratensis, commonly known as Kentucky Bluegrass or Common Meadow-grass, is a perennial species of grass. A long-lived sodgrass with rhizomes, growing 0.5-3 ft. (0.2-0.9 m) tall.
Foliage: Mostly basal, nearly glabrous; blades V-shaped, narrow, 1-7 in. (2.5-17.8 cm) long, with boat-shaped tips and two prominent veins along the center of the upper surface of the leaf which appear as miniature railroad tracks.
Flowers: The flower is its dense seed head. It flowers from May-July.
Fruit: Open, spreading, pyramidal panicle, 2-8 in. (5.1-20.3 cm) long, with panicle branches whorled in groups of 3 to 5; spikelets contain 3 to 5 florets; lemmas awnless but cobwebby-hairy at base.
Ecological Threat: Poa pratensis grows in lawns, roadsides and ditches. It is native to Europe, Asia, North America, and northern Africa.

Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources

Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy

Selected Images from Invasive.org

View All Images at Invasive.org

Flower(s); voucher specimen of inflorescence Dave Powell, USDA Forest Service (retired), Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Plant(s); whole plants in forest undergrowth Dave Powell, USDA Forest Service (retired), Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Plant(s); voucher specimen of whole plant Dave Powell, USDA Forest Service (retired), Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Plant(s); John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Plant(s); Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Seedling(s); Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Flower(s); inflorescence and spikelets at flowering. Joseph M. DiTomaso, University of California - Davis, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Flower(s); inflorescence at fruiting stage. Joseph M. DiTomaso, University of California - Davis, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Stem(s); collar and sheath. Joseph M. DiTomaso, University of California - Davis, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Flower(s); inflorescence and spikelets at flowering. Joseph M. DiTomaso, University of California - Davis, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage

EDDMapS Distribution:
This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts and records obtained from USDA Plants Database. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org

State List
This map identifies those states that list this species on their invasive species list or law.

Invasive Listing Sources:

California Invasive Plant Council

City of Ann Arbor Michigan Parks and Recreation

Hoffman, R. & K. Kearns, Eds. 1997. Wisconsin manual of control recommendations for ecologically invasive plants. Wisconsin Dept. Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources. Madison, Wisconsin. 102pp.

Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council

Pacific Northwest Exotic Pest Plant Council, 1998