| Poa paludigena |
| Bog Bluegrass |
Key Characteristics
Small slender grass of hardwood swamps; plants lax and creeping; leaves very narrow (1-2 mm wide) inflorescence with only 2 panicle branches per node, the spikelets borne at the middle to end of the branches.
Status and Rank
- State Status: T - Threatened (legally protected)
- State Rank: S2 - Imperiled
- Global Rank: G3 - Vulnerable
Occurrences
| County Name | Number of Occurrences | Year Last Observed |
|---|---|---|
| Cass | 3 | 1994 |
| Cheboygan | 1 | 1928 |
| Clinton | 1 | 1880 |
| Ingham | 1 | 1895 |
| Ionia | 1 | 1880 |
| Jackson | 3 | 2006 |
| Kalamazoo | 5 | 1947 |
| Keweenaw | 1 | 1895 |
| Lake | 2 | 2002 |
| Livingston | 1 | 1890 |
| Montcalm | 1 | 1898 |
| Newaygo | 1 | 2006 |
| Oakland | 1 | 2004 |
| Ottawa | 1 | 1899 |
| St. Clair | 1 | 1904 |
| St. Joseph | 3 | 1947 |
| Washtenaw | 4 | 2001 |
![Occurrence Map for [Sname]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090116131208im_/http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/maptmp/NFR_Distributions12321113092168.png)
Information is summarized from MNFI's database of rare species and community occurrences. Data may not reflect true distribution since much of the state has not been thoroughly surveyed.
Habitat
Bog bluegrass is found in swamps and wet woods. It is often found creeping along large moss-covered logs on the forest floor.
Natural Community Types
Associated Plants
Silver maple, red maple, swamp white oak, cinnamon fern, royal fern, skunk cabbage, marsh-marigold, mosses, sensitive fern, black ash, American elm, white ash, red ash, tamarack, red maple, yellow birch, spicebush, and prickly ash.
Management
This species requires the maintenance of natural hydrological cycles. Where it occurs in forested environments, protection of the canopy is also likely important.
General Survey Guidelines
Random meander search covers areas that appear likely to have rare taxa, based on habitat and the judgement of the investigator.
Survey Methods
- Meander search
Survey Period: From fourth week of May to first week of June
References
Survey References
- Elzinga, C.L., D.W. Salzer, and J.W. Willoughby. 1998. Measuring and Monitoring Plant Populations. The Nature Conservancy and Bureau of Land Management, Denver. BLM Technical Reference 1730-1. 477pp.
- Goff, G.F., G.A. Dawson, and J.J. Rochow. 1982. Site examination for Threatened and Endangered plant species. Environmental Management 6(4): 307-316
- Nelson, J.R. 1984. Rare Plant Field Survey Guidelines. In: J.P. Smith and R. York. Inventory of rare and endangered vascular plants of California. 3rd Ed. California Native Plant Society, Berkeley. 174pp.
- Nelson, J.R. 1986. Rare Plant Surveys: Techniques For Impact Assessment. Natural Areas Journal 5(3):18-30.
- Nelson, J.R. 1987. Rare Plant Surveys: Techniques for Impact Assessment. In: Conservation and management of rare and endangered plants. Ed. T.S. Elias. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento. 8pp.
Technical References
- Braun, E. L. 1967. The Monocotyledoneae of Ohio. Cat-tails to Orchids. Ohio State University Press, Columbus. 464pp.
- Coffin, B. and L. Pfannmuller, eds. 1988. Minnesota's Endangered Flora and Fauna. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. 473pp.
- Dore, W.G. and J. McNeill. 1980. Grasses of Ontario. Agriculture Canada Research Monographs 26: 566pp.
- Gleason, H. A., and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second edition. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx. 910pp.
- Gray, A. 1950. Gray's Manual of Botany; eighth ed. Van Nostrand Reinghold, New York. 1632pp.
- Hitchcock, A. S. 1951. Manual of the Grasses of the United States. Second ed. Revised by A. Chase. U.S. Department of Agriculture Miscellaneous Publications 200. 1051pp.
- Holmgren, N.H. 1998. Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquist's Manual. Illustrations of the vascular plants of Northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx. 937pp.
- Mohlenbrock, R.H. 1986. Guide to the Vascular Flora of Illinois. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. 507pp.
- Swink, F. and G. Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region, 4th ed. Indiana Academy of Science, Indianapolis. 921pp.
- Voss, E. G. 1972. Michigan Flora. Part I. Gymnosperms and Monocots. Bulletin of the Cranbrook Institute of Science and University of Michigan Herbarium. 488pp.