Poa cusickii subsp. cusickii
Photo: parent species Poa cusickii · (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Poa cusickii subsp. cusickii is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by . Key features: dioecious, dense basal tuft, scabrous branches, large lemmas.
Cusick's bluegrass is a native perennial grass found in eastern Klamath Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada, and Great Basin regions in moist meadows, dry slopes, sagebrush scrub, and montane forest at elevations of 1,500 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from May to July, this grass produces delicate, slender panicle branches with pale greenish-white spikelets. Growing with dense basal tufts and stems 15 to 45 centimeters tall, it develops an open leaf sheath covering one-half to three-quarters of its length. Its leaves form compact basal clusters with minimal exposed nodes, creating a tidy, clustered growth habit. The grass produces small spikelets 3.5 to 7.5 millimeters long that are smooth or slightly rough-textured.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 20 sympatric species. Key features: dioecious, dense basal tuft, scabrous branches, large lemmas
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist meadows to dry slopes in sagebrush scrub or montane forest
Elevation: 1500-2500 m
Outside California: to Washington, Idaho, northern Nevada
Bloom period
Poa cusickii subsp. cusickii blooms May-Jul.
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 cusickii subsp. cusickii native to California?
Yes. Poa cusickii subsp. cusickii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Poa cusickii subsp. cusickii bloom?
Poa cusickii subsp. cusickii blooms May-Jul.
What plant family does Poa cusickii subsp. cusickii belong to?
Poa cusickii subsp. cusickii is in the Poaceae family, genus Poa.
What habitat does Poa cusickii subsp. cusickii grow in?
Poa cusickii subsp. cusickii grows in Moist meadows to dry slopes in sagebrush scrub or montane 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.