Poa bolanderi
Bolander's blue grass
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matt Berger · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Poa bolanderi (Bolander's blue grass) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by distinctive inflorescence behavior and elongated glabrous internodes.
Bolander's blue grass is a native annual grass found in northwestern California, the high Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, and San Jacinto Mountains, primarily in open pine forest environments at elevations of 1,280 to 3,275 meters. Flowering from June to August, this grass produces delicate spikelets with small, subtle flowers. Growing in tufted clumps 20 to 60 centimeters tall, it forms dense clusters with soft, flat leaf blades. Its leaves have short, rounded ligules and narrow blades approximately 1.5 to 5 millimeters wide, with distinctive abruptly prow-tipped ends. The grass develops an open branching inflorescence that spreads when fruiting, with spikelets clustered along the upper half of the stems.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 43 sympatric species; distinctive inflorescence behavior and elongated glabrous internodes
Habitat and range
Habitat: mountains especially in open pine forest
Elevation: generally 1280-3275 m
Outside California: to Washington, Idaho, Utah
Bloom period
Poa bolanderi blooms Jun-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Festuca: Poa has boat-shaped, keeled leaf tips; Festuca leaves are flat or rolled but never keeled like a ship's prow.; vs Melica: Poa has fine, narrow leaves with boat-shaped tips; Melica has wider, flat leaves without the distinctive keel.; vs Nassella: Poa leaves have boat-shaped tips you can feel; Nassella leaves roll inward and lack the keel.; vs Koeleria: Poa has cobwebby hairs at seed base and keeled leaf tips; Koeleria lacks both features.; vs Holcus: Poa has boat-shaped leaf tips; Holcus leaves are flat and soft-hairy without any keel.
Frequently asked questions
Is Poa bolanderi native to California?
Yes. Poa bolanderi is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Poa bolanderi bloom?
Poa bolanderi blooms Jun-Aug.
What plant family does Poa bolanderi belong to?
Poa bolanderi is in the Poaceae family, genus Poa.
What habitat does Poa bolanderi grow in?
Poa bolanderi grows in mountains especially in open pine forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.