1. | Annuals | 2 |
Perennials | 4 | |
2. | Inflorescence narrow with spikelets appressed to branches |
P. fax (NSW VIC SA WA) P. lepida, Neuropoa fax |
Inflorescence ±open | 3 | |
3. | Lemmas 2.5-4mm long | *P. annua (NSW VIC TAS NT SA WA QLD) |
Lemmas 2-2.5mm long | *P. infirma (NSW VIC TAS SA) | |
4. | Base of plant bulbous, nodular or with thickened internodes |
5 |
Base of plant not as above | 7 | |
5. | Base of plant bulbous | *P. bulbosa (NSW VIC TAS SA WA) |
Base of plant nodular or with thickened internodes |
6 | |
6. | Spikelets turgid; sheaths glabrous | P. drummondiana (VIC SA WA) |
Spikelets compressed; sheaths scabrous to pubescent |
P. crassicaudex (SA) | |
7. | Inflorescence linear with short erect branches and few spikelets |
P. saxicola (NSW VIC TAS) |
Inflorescence ±open or if contracted then with numerous spikelets |
8 | |
8. | Culm internodes strongly compressed | 9 |
Culm internodes terete of slightly compressed |
10 | |
9. | Sheaths keeled and fused around culm | P. homomalla (WA) |
Sheaths open, not fused around culm | *P. compressa (NSW TAS) | |
10. | Blades smooth or scabrous on lower surface (sometimes loosely hispid in P. hookeri) |
11 |
Blades pubescent or hirsute on lower surface |
57 | |
11. | Ligule usually 2mm long or more (rarely less), thinly membranous and ±smooth |
12 |
Ligule 0.1-2mm long, firmly membranous, usually ±puberulous or scabrous on back and/or ciliate at apex, or reduced to a line of hairs |
17 | |
12. | Culms 50-150cm tall; blades 4-15mm wide |
P. queenslandica (NSW QLD) |
Culms usually shorter; blades up to 6mm wide |
13 | |
13. | Rhizomatous; ligule obtuse or truncate | 14 |
Not rhizomatous; ligule acute to acuminate |
16 | |
14. | Plants naturalised in rich soils; spikelets 2.5-6mm long |
*P. pratensis (NSW VIC TAS SA WA) |
Plants of wet habitats; spikelets 5-10mm long |
15 | |
15. | Spikelets 8-10mm long; glumes shorter than adjacent lemma; inhabits non-saline alluvial sites |
P. fordeana (NSW VIC SA QLD) |
Spikelets 5-8mm long; glumes equal to or longer than adjacent lemma; inhabits saline sites |
P. sallacustris (VIC) | |
16. | Stoloniferous; ligule 4-10mm long | *P. trivialis (NSW VIC TAS) |
Tufted; ligule 4-10mm long | P. hookeri (VIC TAS) | |
17. | Blades flat or folded and 2-sided | 18 |
Blades rolled or closely folded and ±cylindrical |
34 | |
18. | Leaves and shoots from aerial nodes, or plants stoloniferous |
19 |
Leaves and shoots mostly basal; plants tufted or rhizomatous |
21 | |
19. | Lemma glabrous or with sparse hairs on keels and nerves |
P. umbricola (SA) |
Lemma usually pubescent between nerves on lower back |
20 | |
20. | Plants ±robust and erect; blades firm | P. affinis (NSW) |
Plants flaccid, often trailing; blades soft |
P. tenera (NSW VIC TAS SA) | |
21. | Rhizomatous | 22 |
Tufted | 27 | |
22. | Lower leaf sheaths ±purplish; lemmas ±pubescent on internerves |
23 |
Lower leaf sheaths not purplish; lemmas glabrous on internerves |
26 | |
23. | Lemmas 1.7-3mm long | 24 |
Lemmas 2.75-5mm long | 25 | |
24. | Leaves glabrous or nearly so | P. clelandii (VIC TAS SA) |
Leaves ±velutinous | P. hothamensis var. parviflora (VIC) | |
25. | Blades smooth to scabrous | P. ensiformis (NSW VIC) |
Blades with fine hairs | P. hothamensis var. hothamensis (VIC) | |
26. | Blades ±rigid; spikelets strongly compressed |
P. cheelii (NSW QLD) |
Blades herbaceous; spikelets compressed but ±turgid |
*P. pratensis (NSW VIC TAS SA WA QLD) | |
27. | Inflorescence branches short and with spikelets almost to their bases |
P. poiformis var. poiformis (NSW VIC TAS SA WA) |
Inflorescence branches without spikelets in lower parts |
28 | |
28. | Paleas not or rarely ciliolate below | 29 |
Paleas finely ciliolate below | 31 | |
29. | Leaves ±smooth | P. porphyroclados (WA) P. serpentum |
Leaves generally scabrous | 30 | |
30. | Peduncles compressed below inflorescence; blades 3-8mm wide |
P. helmsii (NSW VIC) |
Peduncles ±terete below inflorescence; blades 1-3.5mm wide |
P. labillardieri var. labillardieri (NSW VIC TAS SA QLD) | |
31. | Sheaths ±purplish at base | P. clelandii (VIC TAS SA) |
Sheaths not or rarely purplish at base | 32 | |
32. | Sheaths ±pubescent | P. crassicaudex (SA) |
Sheaths scabrous or smooth | 33 | |
33. | Lemma hairy between nerves and on keel to midway |
P. lowanensis (VIC) |
Lemma glabrous between nerves and on keel from slightly above base |
P. labillardieri var. labillardieri (NSW VIC TAS SA QLD) | |
34. | Blades ±rigid and smooth | 35 |
Blades rigid and scabrous or not rigid | 40 | |
35. | Rhizomatous | P. halmaturina (VIC TAS SA) |
Rhizomes not or rarely developed | 36 | |
36. | Lemmas ±pubescent on lower part of back |
P. fawcettiae (NSW VIC TAS) |
Lemmas hairy mainly on keels and lateral nerves or without hairs |
37 | |
37. | Inflorescence branches with spikelets almost to their bases |
38 |
Inflorescence branches without spikelets in their lower parts |
39 | |
38. | Culm not branching from lower nodes; sheaths and internodes green |
P. poiformis var. poiformis (NSW VIC TAS SA WA) P. australis, P. laevis, P. plebeia |
Culm branching from lower nodes; sheaths and internodes often purple |
P. poiformis var. ramifer (VIC TAS) | |
39. | Lemmas 2.5-3.5mm long | P. gunnii (TAS) |
Lemmas ±4.5mm long | P. costiniana (NSW VIC TAS) | |
40. | Blades rigid | 41 |
Bldes not or scarcely rigid | 43 | |
41. | Lower sheaths not purplish | P. gunnii (TAS) |
Lower sheaths usually purplish | 42 | |
42. | Paleas ciliolate | P. phillipsiana (NSW VIC) |
Paleas not ciliolate | P. labillardieri var. acris (TAS) | |
43. | Culms with aerial shoots or rhizomes or stoloniferous and trailing |
44 |
Culms tufted, without aerial shoots, rhizomes or stolons |
46 | |
44. | Plants with rhizomes | P. jugicola (TAS) |
Plants without rhizomes | 45 | |
45. | Ligule 0.8-2.6mm long; basal leaf sheaths strongly reddish; margins connate for their entire length |
P. sp. B (VIC) |
Ligule 0.3-0.4mm long; basal leaf sheaths not reddish; margins connate in lower 2/3 to for their entire length (but usually splitting) |
P. tenera (NSW VIC TAS SA) | |
46. | Lemma glabrous | P. clivicola (NSW VIC) |
Lemma hairy to some degree | 47 | |
47. | Internerves glabrous | 48 |
Internerves hairy | 52 | |
48. | Tussocks generally large and coarse | 49 |
Tussocks small and fine | 50 | |
49. | Leaves smooth | P. porphyroclados (WA) |
Leaves scabrous | P. labillardieri var. labillardieri (NSW VIC TAS SA QLD) | |
50. | Glumes narrow | P. meionectes (NSW VIC SA) P. exilis |
Glumes rather broad to broad | 51 | |
51. | Lemma linear-lanceolate to lanceolate | P. clivicola (NSW VIC) |
Lemma oblong | P. gunnii (TAS) | |
52. | Blades smooth | 53 |
Blades scabrous | 54 | |
53. | Blades soft, bright green | P. hiemata (NSW VIC TAS) |
Blades ±rigid, bluish | P. fawcettiae (NSW VIC TAS) | |
54. | Scabrous surface very dense | P. rodwayi (VIC TAS SA) |
Scabrous surface sparse | 55 | |
55. | Sheaths pubescent | P. crassicaudex (SA) |
Sheaths smooth or scabrous | 56 | |
56. | Leaves green to greyish-green | P. sieberiana var. sieberiana (NSW VIC TAS QLD) P. australis auct. |
Leaves bluish | P. sieberiana var. cyanophylla (NSW) | |
57. | Blades sparsely hairy | P. sieberiana var. hirtella (NSW VIC QLD) |
Blades densely hairy | 58 | |
58. | Blades with hairs of two lengths, or else distinctly scabrous between hairs |
P. induta (NSW) |
Blades with hairs ±equal in length, or if in two lengths longer hairs soft and fine |
59 | |
59. | Blades tightly inrolled | 60 |
Blades flat, folded or loosely inrolled |
62 | |
60. | Ligule hairless, 2.1-6.4mm long | P. sp. A (NSW VIC) |
Ligule ciliolate 0.2-3mm long | 61 | |
61. | Lemmas 3-4mm long | P. petrophila (NSW VIC) |
Lemmas 2.5-3.5mm long | P. rodwayi (VIC TAS SA) | |
62. | Lower sheaths purplish; lemma glabrous between nerves |
63 |
Lower sheaths pallid; lemma pubescent between nerves |
64 | |
63. | Cilms uncranches; shoots intravaginal; ligule ciliolate; inflorescence 6-15cm long |
P. mollis (TAS) |
Culms branched above; shoots extravaginal; ligule hairless; inflorescence to 3cm long |
P. sp. C (SA) |
|
64. | Lower internodes not swollen | P. morrisii (VIC SA) |
Lower internodes ±swollen | P. crassicaudex (SA) |
Key to Poa derived from Vickery 1970; Morris 1990; Walsh 1991, 1992
+ P.
amplexicaulis , P. orthoclada , P. serpentum
fide APC, + Poa billardieri,
Poa pubinervis (both previously Austrofestuca)
Poa orba has to go somewhere. At present it straddles couplet 11, with its
ligule 0.9-3.5 mm long.