Fauna
Plant

Smooth Meadow-grass

Poa pratensis

Also known as Kentucky Bluegrass, Common Meadow-Grass, June Grass

Smooth meadow-grass forms dense, carpet-like turf by spreading through an extensive network of underground creeping rhizomes. Its foliage features characteristic boat-shaped leaf tips and a soft, bluish-green hue that matures into open, pyramid-shaped flowering panicles in late spring. Widely cultivated for lawns and pastures, it thrives in well-drained, fertile soils while displacing native vegetation across disturbed North American grasslands.

PerennialTurfgrassWind-Pollinated
Smooth Meadow-grass reference1 / 7
Rasbak / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
—observations
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Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & preyPhotosynthetic
Predators
  • Grazing Livestock
  • Herbivorous Insects
  • Waterfowl
ThreatsSevere drought, extreme overgrazing, habitat modification in native range
HabitatsMeadows, lawns, pastures, roadsides, disturbed grasslands
Life spanPerennial (clones can persist for decades)
Classification
  1. OrderPoales
  2. FamilyPoaceae
  3. GenusPoa
  4. SpeciesPoa pratensis
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
  • Identification: Check for distinctly boat-shaped leaf tips and smooth, flattened stem bases.
  • Seasonal Timing: Look for open pyramidal seed heads bursting with pale purple spikelets in late spring.
Related species
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