Poa nemoralis
Wood blue grass
(c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Not Native
Poa nemoralis (Wood blue grass) is a non-native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by non-native status and very short ligule.
Wood blue grass is a naturalized perennial grass found in northwestern California and the Sierra Nevada on disturbed ground, cool temperate forest slopes and openings, and mossy rocks near streams at elevations generally below 2,000 meters. Flowering from May to June, this grass produces delicate pale green to greenish-white flower clusters in open, lanceolate panicles 5 to 15 centimeters long. Growing with loosely tufted stems 30 to 70 centimeters tall, it has smooth stems that are glabrous below the nodes. Its leaf blades are soft, generally flat, and 1.5 to 4 millimeters wide, with open sheaths and tiny truncate ligules less than 0.5 millimeters long. The spikelets have lower glumes with three veins and lemmas 3 to 3.5 millimeters long with hairy marginal veins.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 41 sympatric species; distinguished by non-native status and very short ligule
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed ground, cool temperate forest slopes and openings, mossy rocks near streams
Elevation: generally < 2000 m
Outside California: cool temperate North America, native to Eurasia
Bloom period
Poa nemoralis blooms May-Jun.
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 nemoralis native to California?
No. Poa nemoralis is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Poa nemoralis bloom?
Poa nemoralis blooms May-Jun.
What plant family does Poa nemoralis belong to?
Poa nemoralis is in the Poaceae family, genus Poa.
What habitat does Poa nemoralis grow in?
Poa nemoralis grows in Disturbed ground, cool temperate forest slopes and openings, mossy rocks near streams.
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.