Poa arida Vasey Plains Bluegrass Habit: Densely tufted perennial. Culms: Erect, 20-60 cm. tall, simple. Blades: Mostly basal, firm, 2-15 cm. long, usually 2-3 mm. wide, erect, flat or folded, culm leaf smaller. Sheaths: Shorter than the internode, slightly rough. Ligule: 2-4 mm. long. Inflorescence: Panicle exserted, narrow, dense, 2-10 (-15) cm. long, branches short, mostly erect, except perhaps the lower, spikelet bearing to the base. Spikelets: Crowded, rather thick, 5-7 mm. long, 4-8-flowered, flat, the flowers perfect, the rachis articulate between the florets, the uppermost floret imperfect or rudimentary. Glumes: 2, subequal, persistent, strongly keeled, acute, 3-nerved, 3-4 mm. long. Lemmas: 3-4 mm. long, acute to obtuse, scarcely compressed; 5-nerved, densely villous on the keel and marginal nerves, and more or less villous on the lower part of the lemma, 2-keeled and 2-nerved. Fruit: Grain. Habitat: Prairies, plains and alkali meadows. June-July. Kansas Range: West two thirds. Synonyms: Poa glaucifolia Scribn. & Williams ex Williams Poa pseudopratensis Scribn. & Rydb.