Poa zhongdianensis L. Liu

This species differs from other species in Poa sect. Homalopoa in having leaf sheath sparsely and retrorsely strigose, sheath collar margins strigose to ciliate, leaf blade adaxial surface or both surfaces scabrid, spikelets 4–5.5 mm, with 2(or 3) florets, and lower glume short, 1.5–2.3 mm.

Perennials, loosely tufted, subrhizomatous; shoots extravaginal, tillers few. Culms 40–70 cm tall, nodes 3 or 4, 2 exserted, 1–1.5 mm in diam., smooth. Lower leaf sheaths somewhat keeled, moderately compressed, proximally retrorsely scabrid to distally hispidulous to strigulose, 4.5–7.5 cm, 5/9–5/6 as long as blade, uppermost closed for ca. 3/5 of length, sometimes united further by a hyaline membrane; blades flat or folded with inrolled margins, moderately thin, 5–20 cm, uppermost 5–12 cm × 2–3 mm, abaxially smooth or sparsely scabrid, shiny, adaxially and margins scabrid, apex slender prow-tipped; ligule 1.7–2.2 mm, abaxially scabrid, apex truncate to obtuse, lower ligules 0.3–0.5 mm, scabrid margined, collar margins strigose to ciliate. Panicle open, well exserted, 10–18 × up to 10 cm, longest internodes 2–3.5 cm; branches spreading, 2(–4) per node, slender, proximally rounded, smooth or sparsely scabrid, distally scabrid angled, longest 4–7 cm with 4–12 spikelets in distal 1/2; flowers female or perfect. Spikelets 4–5.5 mm, florets 2(or 3); vivipary absent; rachilla internodes to 1(–1.2) mm, smooth, minutely bumpy, or scabrid; glumes unequal sublustrous, keel scabrid distally, lower glume 1.5–2.3 mm, to 1/2 as long as first lemma, to 1/2 as wide as upper glume, 1-veined, upper glume 2.5–3 mm, 3-veined; lemmas thinly papery, 3.5–4 mm, proximally moderately scabrid to minutely bumpy, distally minutely bumpy, apex acute, keel villous or short villous to 1/3 of length, marginal veins to 1/5, intermediate veins moderately prominent; callus webbed, hairs sparse, to 1/3 the lemma; palea minutely bumpy to densely scabrid between keels, keels scabrid, glabrous. Anthers 1.8–2 mm, vestigial in unisexual flowers. Fl. and fr. Jun–Jul.

NW Yunnan.

* Open places, Picea and Quercus forests; 3400–3600 m.