Poa pseudamoena Bor

Poa pseudamoena is infrequently collected. It looks much like a form of Poa annua with glabrous lemmas, but with more congested panicles. The type of Puccinellia platyglumis, from SW Xizang, has smaller spikelets and a more open panicle, at least at anthesis. We have seen authentic Poa pseudamoena from S Xinjiang on mixed sheets with Puccinellia.

Annuals or short-lived perennials, densely tufted. Culms included in the basal tufts or slightly exserted, erect or decumbent, 4–8 cm tall, smooth, nodes 1 or 2, hidden. Leaf sheaths smooth, glabrous, 1–3 cm, subequal to shorter than blade, uppermost closed for ca. 1/4 of length; blade flat or folded, thin, 1–4 cm × 1–1.6 mm, abaxially smooth, adaxially smooth or sparsely scabrid, margins smooth to scabrid; ligules 0.5–2.2 mm, abaxially smooth, apex acute, lacerate to dentate, collars smooth. Panicle contracted to subspiciform, or open at anthesis, ovoid to cylindrical, erect, 1–2.5 × 0.6–1 cm, longest internodes 0.4–0.8 cm; branches erect to ascending, 1 or 2 per node, proximally smooth, distally sparsely to moderately scabrid on weak angles, longest 0.5–1.5 cm with 1–3(–8) spikelets distally. Spikelets elliptic, pale green to purple tinged 3.2–6 mm, florets 2–4; vivipary absent; rachilla internodes 0.4–1 mm, smooth, glabrous; glumes subequal, keels smooth or sparsely scabrid, lower glume 1.8–4 mm, (1 or)3-veined, upper glume 2.4–4.6 mm, oblong, 3-veined; lemmas broadly elliptic, 2.5–4 mm, glabrous throughout, apex acute, occasionally mucronulate, keel sparsely scabrid, intermediate veins faint to moderately prominent, area between veins smooth; callus glabrous; palea smooth between veins, keels scabrid. Anthers 0.6–1 mm. Fl. and fr. Aug–Sep.

Qinghai, S Xinjiang, Xizang [India (Uttar Pradesh)].

Xizang-Qinghai Plateau:grassy frost-heaved slopes, glacial outwash, lake shores; 2800–5600 m.

Poa amoena Bor, Kew Bull. [3] 1948: 140. 1948, not (J. Presl) Kunth, 1833; P. platyglumis (L. Liu) L. Liu; Puccinellia platyglumis L. Liu.