Poa macrantha
Encyclopedia
Poa macrantha is a species of grass
known by the common names seashore bluegrass and large-flowered sand dune bluegrass. It is native to the west coast of North America from Alaska
to northern California
, where it grows in sand dunes
and other beach habitat.
Poa macrantha is a perennial grass growing in loose clumps with stems up to 60 centimeters in maximum height. The grass grows from a network of very long, stout rhizome
s and stolon
s which may be up to 4 meters in length, anchoring the grass in its shifting sandy substrate. The inflorescence
is a dense series of clustered spikelets which are flattened and longer than wide. The plant is dioecious
with male and female individuals bearing different types of flowers; the two flower types are similar in appearance.
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
known by the common names seashore bluegrass and large-flowered sand dune bluegrass. It is native to the west coast of North America from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in sand dunes
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
and other beach habitat.
Poa macrantha is a perennial grass growing in loose clumps with stems up to 60 centimeters in maximum height. The grass grows from a network of very long, stout rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
s and stolon
Stolon
In biology, stolons are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external skeletons.-In botany:...
s which may be up to 4 meters in length, anchoring the grass in its shifting sandy substrate. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a dense series of clustered spikelets which are flattened and longer than wide. The plant is dioecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
with male and female individuals bearing different types of flowers; the two flower types are similar in appearance.