Poa arachnifera

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Texas bluegrass
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Genus: Poa
Species:
P. arachnifera
Binomial name
Poa arachnifera
L.

Poa arachnifera, the Texas bluegrass, is a species of grass. It is a dioecious perennial plant, native to the southern Great Plains of the United States. [1]

Contents

Hybridization with Kentucky bluegrass

During the 1990s, botanists began experimenting with producing hybrids of Texas bluegrass and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) for use as wintering foraging plant for grazing livestock [ citation needed ] and as a drought-resistant lawn grass. The hybrids appear similar to Kentucky bluegrass, but maintain their green color in higher temperatures. [2] Seed manufacturers began marketing the first of these hybrids, often termed "heat-tolerant bluegrasses", in the first decade of the 21st century.

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Bluegrass or Blue Grass may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forage</span> Plant material eaten by grazing livestock

Forage is a plant material eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially as hay or silage.

<i>Poa pratensis</i> Species of plant

Poa pratensis, commonly known as Kentucky bluegrass, smooth meadow-grass, or common meadow-grass, is a perennial species of grass native to practically all of Europe, North Asia and the mountains of Algeria and Morocco. It is a common and incredibly popular lawn grass in North America with the species being spread over all of the cool, humid parts of the United States, despite the fact that it is not native to North America. The Spanish Empire brought the seeds of Kentucky bluegrass to the New World in mixtures with other grasses. In its native range, Poa pratensis forms a valuable pasture plant, characteristic of well-drained, fertile soil. It is also used for making lawns in parks and gardens and has established itself as a common invasive weed across cool moist temperate climates like the Pacific Northwest and the Northeastern United States. When found on native grasslands in Canada, for example, it is considered an unwelcome exotic plant, and is indicative of a disturbed and degraded landscape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluegrass region</span> Geographic region in the U.S. state of Kentucky

The Bluegrass region is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It makes up the central and northern part of the state, roughly bounded by the cities of Frankfort, Paris, Richmond and Stanford. It is part of the Interior Low Plateaus ecoregion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sod</span> Upper layer of soil and grass

Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls.

<i>Poa</i> Genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae

Poa is a genus of about 570 species of grasses, native to the temperate regions of both hemispheres. Common names include meadow-grass, bluegrass, tussock, and speargrass. Poa is Greek for "fodder". Poa are members of the subfamily Pooideae of the family Poaceae.

A ligule is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf and leafstalk of many grasses (Poaceae) and sedges. A ligule is also a strap-shaped extension of the corolla, such as that of a ray floret in plants in the daisy family Asteraceae.

<i>Poa annua</i> Species of plant

Poa annua, or annual meadow grass, is a widespread low-growing turfgrass in temperate climates. Notwithstanding the reference to annual plant in its name, perennial bio-types do exist. This grass originated as a hybrid between Poa supina and Poa infirma. Major chromosomal rearrangements after polyploidy have contributed to variation in genome size in Poa annua.

<i>Poa nemoralis</i> Species of grass in the family Poaceae

Poa nemoralis, the wood bluegrass, is a perennial plant in the family Poaceae. The late-growing grass is fairly nutritious for livestock, which feed on it in the autumn, and it is used as a lawn grass for shady situations.

<i>Poa palustris</i> Species of grass

Poa palustris is a species of grass native to Asia, Europe and Northern America. This plant is used as fodder and forage, and it also used for erosion control or revegetation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tussock grass</span> Species of grass

Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennial plants, most species live more than one season. Tussock grasses are often found as forage in pastures and ornamental grasses in gardens.

<i>Poa alpina</i> Species of grass

Poa alpina, commonly known as alpine meadow-grass or alpine bluegrass, is a species of grass with a primarily holarctic distribution.

<i>Poa cusickii</i> Species of plant

Poa cusickii is a species of grass known by the common name Cusick's bluegrass. It is native to western North America from Yukon to Colorado to eastern California, where it grows in many types of habitat, including high mountain meadows and slopes, sagebrush scrub, and forests.

<i>Poa infirma</i> Species of grass

Poa infirma is a species of grass known by the common names early meadow-grass and weak bluegrass. It was first described from a specimen found in Colombia, but it is actually an introduced species in the Americas and is native to Europe. It grows in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas. It is very similar to Poa annua, which is probably a daughter species, and it is often mistaken for P. annua unless it is closely examined.

<i>Danthonia compressa</i> Species of grass

Danthonia compressa is a species of grass known by the common names mountain oatgrass, flattened oatgrass, and slender oatgrass.

<i>Poa paludigena</i> Species of grass

Poa paludigena is a species of grass known by the common names bog bluegrass, marsh bluegrass, slender marsh bluegrass, and Patterson's bluegrass. It is native to the northeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown ring patch</span> Fungal disease of turf grass

Brown ring patch is a recently described Rhizoctonia-like disease of turf grass caused by the fungus Waitea circinata var. circinata. The disease primarily affects putting greens and causes yellow or brown rings up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) in diameter. Brown ring patch was first observed in Japan and has since spread to the United States and China (2011).

References

  1. Renganayaki, K.; Read, J. C.; Fritz, A. K. (2001). "Genetic diversity among Texas bluegrass genotypes (Poa arachnifera Torr.) revealed by AFLP and RAPD markers". Theoretical and Applied Genetics. 102 (6–7): 1037–1045. doi:10.1007/s001220000521. S2CID   23484376.
  2. "Texas Bluegrass Hybrids | Bluegrass Research | Research | Bremer | Turf Information | Kansas State University Research and Extension".