Poa abbreviata

Dwarf blue grass, Dwarf Blue Grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Dwarf blue grass is a California native perennial found in alpine and subalpine habitats at elevations typically above 2,500 meters. Flowering from July to August, this delicate grass produces small blue-green flowers in dense, compact clusters about 2 to 6 centimeters long. Growing in tight, densely clustered tufts 5 to 15 centimeters tall, it forms multiple sterile shoots that create a compact ground-hugging form. Its narrow leaves are tightly folded, approximately 1.5 to 2 millimeters wide, with open sheaths that persist at the base of the plant. The grass has distinctive lemmas with hairy margins and keels, creating a soft, intricate texture in high-elevation mountain landscapes.

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.