Poa keckii
Keck's blue grass
(c) Martin Purdy, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Martin Purdy · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Poa keckii (Keck's blue grass) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by extreme high elevation habitat and very small stature.
Keck's blue grass is a California native perennial found in the high alpine regions of the Sierra Nevada and eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, including the Sweetwater and White Mountains, at elevations above 3,000 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces small pale flowers in delicate, narrow inflorescences 1.5 to 6 centimeters long. Growing as a dense, tufted grass with stems 3 to 10 centimeters tall, it forms compact clumps in exposed high-elevation terrain. Its leaves are narrow and firm, typically 1 to 2 millimeters wide, tightly folded or rolled, with leaf sheaths open along most of their length. The grass produces small lemmas 3 to 5 millimeters long, with delicate anthers less than 2 millimeters in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 31 sympatric species; distinguished by extreme high elevation habitat and very small stature
Habitat and range
Habitat: High alpine, often on open ground
Elevation: > 3000 m
Bloom period
Poa keckii blooms Jul-Sep.
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 keckii native to California?
Yes. Poa keckii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Poa keckii bloom?
Poa keckii blooms Jul-Sep.
What plant family does Poa keckii belong to?
Poa keckii is in the Poaceae family, genus Poa.
What habitat does Poa keckii grow in?
Poa keckii grows in High alpine, often on open ground.
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.