Poa abbreviata subsp. pattersonii

Patterson's blue grass, Patterson's Blue Grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Patterson's blue grass is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and White Mountains in high alpine open ground at elevations generally above 3,300 meters. Flowering in July, this plant produces small, delicate blue-green grass flowers in compact clusters. Growing with fine, clustered stems up to 30 centimeters tall, it forms dense tufted mats in harsh alpine environments. Its leaves feature short ligules 1 to 3.5 millimeters long, with lemma keels and marginal veins that are notably hairy. The plant's delicate structure and adaptation to extreme high-elevation conditions make it a distinctive alpine grass species.

Habitat: High alpine open ground

Bloom period: Jul

Elevation: generally > 3300 m

Bioregions: SNH, 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.