Kentucky bluegrass

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Kentucky bluegrass

Kentucky bluegrass

Kentucky bluegrass blade and boat-shaped tip

Kentucky bluegrass inflorescence

Morphology

Culm

Erect, slender, slightly flattened, glabrous.

Blades

Flat or folded, narrow, 2 to 10 inches long, to 1/4 inch wide, mostly glabrous; tips boat-shaped.

Sheath

Conspicuously veined, glabrous or rough, lower 1/2 united.

Ligule

Membranous, entire.

Inflorescence

Panicles, 1.5 to 5 inches long, 1 to 3 inches wide, pyramid-shaped; branches long, wavy, ascending or spreading, lowermost branches in whorls of 3-5

Spikelets

Crowded at ends of branches, 3-6-flowered, to 1/4 inch long, nearly as wide, flattened; glumes nearly equal; lemmas with tuft of silky hairs at bases; awns absent.

Ecology

Habitat

Meadows, fields, open woods, overgrazed pastures, and disturbed sites.

Distribution

Throughout Kansas.

Practical Information

Forage Value

Kentucky bluegrass provides good early-season livestock forage and withstands heavy grazing, but it is not drought-tolerant. Many wildlife species eat the seeds.

Additional Notes