Poa secunda subsp. juncifolia
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Perennial · Native
Poa secunda subsp. juncifolia is a native California perennial in the Poaceae family, recognized by narrow glaucous leaves retaining shape and glabrous lemmas.
Junciform blue grass is a native perennial found in northwestern California, the high Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, and Great Basin in sagebrush scrub to lower montane forest habitats at elevations of 900 to 3,000 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces small bluish-green to green flowers in dense, compact clusters. Growing with slender stems 30 to 120 centimeters tall, it forms tightly clustered bunches with firm, narrow leaves that are often glaucous and tightly folded. Its leaves are extremely narrow, less than 1.5 millimeters wide, with short ligules that are generally truncate to acuminate and slightly rough in texture. When flowering, the plant develops delicate inflorescences 6 to 25 centimeters long that remain tightly contracted and appressed.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 25 sympatric species; key features are narrow glaucous leaves retaining shape and glabrous lemmas
Habitat and range
Habitat: Sagebrush scrub to lower montane forest, often in alkaline depressions
Elevation: 900-3000 m.
California counties: San Bernardino, Tulare, Los Angeles, Riverside, Inyo, Mono, El Dorado, Amador, Sierra, Lassen, Siskiyou, Glenn, Placer, San Benito, San Diego, San Mateo, Ventura, Tehama, Fresno, Kern, Nevada, Plumas, Shasta, Alpine, Trinity, Tuolumne, Modoc, Mendocino, Del Norte, Humboldt, Santa Barbara, Madera, Butte, Lake, Solano, Napa, Monterey
Outside California: to southern Canada, North Dakota, New Mexico.
Bloom period
Poa secunda subsp. juncifolia blooms Apr-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 secunda subsp. juncifolia native to California?
Yes. Poa secunda subsp. juncifolia is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Poa secunda subsp. juncifolia bloom?
Poa secunda subsp. juncifolia blooms Apr-Jul.
Where in California does Poa secunda subsp. juncifolia grow?
Poa secunda subsp. juncifolia occurs in San Bernardino, Tulare, Los Angeles, Riverside, Inyo, Mono, El Dorado, Amador and other counties, at elevations of 900-3000 m..
What plant family does Poa secunda subsp. juncifolia belong to?
Poa secunda subsp. juncifolia is in the Poaceae family, genus Poa.
What habitat does Poa secunda subsp. juncifolia grow in?
Poa secunda subsp. juncifolia grows in Sagebrush scrub to lower montane forest, often in alkaline depressions.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-09-30
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.