Annual Bluegrass

Poaceae

LIFE FORM: Summer annual

NATIVITY: Europe

VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS:

Grows from 6 inches to a foot tall in spring; dies out in mid-summer.

FLOWERS:

Small, inconspicuous flowers in spring.

FRUIT/DISPERSAL AGENTS:

Seeds germinate in fall.

ECOLOGICAL PREFERENCE:

Trampled lawns in public parks; minimally maintained public parks and open space; vacant lots and rubble dump sites; abandoned grasslands (meadows); small-scale pavement openings (tree pits) and cracks; unmowed highway banks and median strips with frequent salt applications.

ENVIRONMENTAL FUNCTION:

Salt tolerance along roadways; drought tolerance on compacted soils.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

This tiny plants flourishes in compacted soil where little else can grow.