General:
Annual tufted grass from fibrous roots; stems 25-80 cm tall.

Leaves:
Sheath margins open 1/7-1/2 their length; blades 1-7 mm wide, flat, gradually tapered to the tips; ligules 1.5-5 (10) mm long, the backs smooth.

Flowers:
Inflorescence an erect panicle, 10-25 cm long, open, the branches (1) 3 to 5 (7) per node, ascending in flower, spreading to reflexed in fruit, generally moderately to distinctly rough; spikelets laterally compressed, 4-6 mm long, 3- to 5-flowered; lower glumes 1- to 3-nerved; rachilla internodes about 1 mm long, hairless or hairy; lemmas 2.5-3.5 mm long, evenly crisply short-hairy below, lateral nerves obscure; calluses cobwebby; palea keels rough, somewhat short-hairy; anthers 0.2-1 mm long.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Poa bolanderi subsp. howellii (Vasey & Scribn.) D.D. Keck
Poa bolanderi var. howellii (Vasey & Scribn.) M.E. Jones