Poa abbreviata subsp. marshii

Marsh's blue grass, Marsh's Blue Grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Marsh's blue grass is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native perennial found in the White Mountains on high alpine open ground at elevations generally over 3,300 meters. Flowering in July, this plant produces delicate blue-green grass flowers in small, cobwebby spikelets. Growing with fine, slender stems typical of alpine environments, it forms compact clusters in exposed mountain terrain. Its leaves feature distinctive short ligules between 1 to 3 millimeters long, with lemmas that are smoothly glabrous. The tiny anthers, measuring approximately 0.6 to 1 millimeter, contribute to its delicate alpine adaptation.

Habitat: High alpine open ground

Bloom period: Jul

Elevation: generally > 3300 m

Bioregions: W&ampI (White Mtns)

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