Introductory
SPECIES: Poa cusickii | Cusick's Bluegrass 



ABBREVIATION : 
POACUS

SYNONYMS : 
   Poa epilis Scribn. [12]
     = P. cusickii ssp. epilis (Scribn.) R. J. Soreng [13,35]
   P. c. ssp. epilis var. purpurascens (Vasey) C. Hitchc. [35]
     = P. c. ssp. purpurascens (Vasey) R. J. Soreng [34]


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   POCU3


COMMON NAMES : 
   Cusick's bluegrass


TAXONOMY : 
The scientific name of Cusick's bluegrass is Poa cusickii Vasey
(Poaceae) [9,13,14,15,22].  Accepted subspecies are:

Poa cusickii ssp. cusickii [13,22,35]
P. c. ssp. epilis (Scribn.) Weber [13,22,47]
P. c. ssp. pallida R. J. Soreng [13,35,48]
P. c. ssp. purpurascens (Vasey) R. J. Soreng [13,35]

Kartesz [16] and Welsh and others [49] consider Cusick's bluegrass
synonymous with mutton grass (P. fendleriana).  Based upon chloroplast
DNA anaylsis and differences in morphologies and mating systems,
however, Soreng [34,35] has classified Cusick's bluegrass and mutton
grass as distinct species.  A separate report on mutton grass is
available in FEIS.

Poa X nematophylla Rydb. is a stable, apomictic taxon probably resulting
from hybridization of P. c. ssp. pallida and mutton grass [35].


LIFE FORM : 
Graminoid

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
Anne Bradley, October 1986


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
Janet L. Howard, July 1997


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Howard, Janet L. 1997; Bradley, Anne F. 1986. Poa cusickii. In: Remainder of Citation

Related categories for Species: Poa cusickii | Cusick's Bluegrass