Poa

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.

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith