114 CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO [CH. 
tt Spikelets 4—6 flowered. 
Annuals, about six inches high, with rela- 
tively large and numerous spikelets for so 
small a panicle. No “web” at the base of 
the palee. 
Hil 
P. annua, L. 
This is the small grass so common as a weed on roadsides and 
on lawns, flowering even in winter. For other annual species of 
Poa—P. rigida, P. loliacea and P. procumbens—see note p. 108 and 
BoAtt. 
== Perennials. 
A With creeping stolons. 
2  Stemsand leaf-sheaths flattened. Panicle 
somewhat close and secund, some spike- 
lets being nearly sessile. 
P. compressa, L. 
zz Stems and leaf-sheaths terete. Panicle 
spreading widely. 
P. pratensis, L. 
AA Without creeping stolons. Stems and 
panicle slender, round. A shade-plant. 
P. nemoralis, L. 
The rarer species of Poa are P. bulbosa with the stems swollen 
below ; P. alpina, also slightly bulbous and often viviparous ; P. laxa 
an allied Highland species ; and P. distans a maritime form allied 
to P. maritima (see p. 111). 
** Spikelets with awns or with sharp terminal 
points (awn-points) to the glumes or palez. 
In some species and varieties of Yestuca awns are not evident 
(see p. 116): the hard palez simply end in acute or acuminate 
points, but these are sharp and in most cases much more so than in 
any Poa. When not so evident, the student will probably think 
the specimen is a Poa and the flora must be consulted. 
