Poa arachnifera Torr., Texas bluegrass 
DESCRIPTION 
Cool-season , rhizomatous perennial. 
Height: 10 to 20 inches. 
Leaf blade: Mostly basal; long; narrow; boat shaped at end. 
Seedhead: Panicle narrow, somewhat compressed, 2 to 4 
inches long ; male and female spikelets on same plant. 
GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS 
Growth starts in fall. Foliage stays green all winter if moisture 
is available. Becomes dormant through hot summer months. In 
extremely low temperatures, leaves freeze but more leaves grow 
from axillary buds on basal nodes. Reproduces from stolons and 
from seed. Seed produced in spring germinate in fall. 
DISTRIBUTION 
Southern Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. 
SITE ADAPTATION 
Grows best on clay and clay loam soils. 
USE AND MANAGEMENT 
Texas bluegrass is used by all livestock for winter grazing 
throughout its range. It has been used as a lawn grass. 
Grazing should be deferred in spring every few years to allow 
this grass to produce a seed crop. It is a key management species 
on some sites that are grazed during winter by cattle and sheep. 
If it is, no more than 50 percent of current year’s growth by 
weight should be grazed off. 
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