Plants and Animals
Poa interior Inland bluegrass
Key Characteristics
Stiffly erect bunchgrass of Lake Superior rock outcrops and shores; 30 to 80 cm tall; inflorescence narrow with 1 to 4 exposed nodes; longest ligules 0.7 to 1.2 mm long; widest glumes nearly the same width as lemmas; lemmas without hairs (i.e., glabrous) between marginal veins and keels. The occurrence of Poa interior remains tentative in Michigan on taxonomic grounds, as all Michigan material intergrades with the somewhat more widespread P. glauca.
Status and Rank
US Status: No Status/Not Listed
State Status: SC - Special Concern (rare or uncertain; not legally protected)
Global Rank: G5T5
State Rank: SNR - Not ranked
Occurrences
| County | Number of Occurrences | Year Last Observed |
|---|---|---|
| Alpena | 1 | 1995 |
| Chippewa | 1 | 1970 |
| Keweenaw | 2 | 1950 |
| Marquette | 1 | 1959 |
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
Found along Lake Superior and Drummond Island in dry, sandy or rocky, beaches or rock outcrops and talus slopes. Reported from both volcanic and limestone substrates. Elsewhere, widespread in the mountains of western North America.
Natural Community Types
- Dry-mesic northern forest
- Limestone bedrock glade
- Limestone bedrock lakeshore
- Limestone lakeshore cliff
- Open dunes
- Sand and gravel beach
- Volcanic bedrock glade
- Volcanic bedrock lakeshore
- Volcanic lakeshore cliff
For each species, lists of natural communities were derived from review of the nearly 6,500 element occurrences in the MNFI database, in addition to herbarium label data for some taxa. In most cases, at least one specimen record exists for each listed natural community. For certain taxa, especially poorly collected or extirpated species of prairie and savanna habitats, natural community lists were derived from inferences from collection sites and habitat preferences in immediately adjacent states (particularly Indiana and Illinois). Natural communities are not listed for those species documented only from altered or ruderal habitats in Michigan, especially for taxa that occur in a variety of habitats outside of the state.
Natural communities are not listed in order of frequency of occurrence, but are rather derived from the full set of natural communities, organized by Ecological Group. In many cases, the general habitat descriptions should provide greater clarity and direction to the surveyor. In future versions of the Rare Species Explorer, we hope to incorporate natural community fidelity ranks for each taxon.
Associated Plants
No data are available concerning associates in Michigan.
Management Recommendations
A status survey is warranted for this species along shores of cliffs of Lake Superior. This species requires protection of habitat and maintenance of natural dune processes (e.g. shoreline fluctuation, erosion, sand deposition, wind, water level fluctuation, sand movement) that create the necessary microsites. Protect occupied habitat and adjacent habitat to allow for temporal and spatial change in habitat with fluctuation of the Great Lakes. Prevent or remove invasive species. Vulnerable to ORV damage and excessive foot traffic.
Survey Methods
Random meander search covers areas that appear likely to have rare taxa, based on habitat and the judgment of the investigator.
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Meander search
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Survey Period: From third week of June to second week of August
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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
- 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.
- Reznicek, A.A., E.G. Voss, and B.S. Walters. 2011. Poa interior Rydb. Michigan Flora Online. University of Michigan. Web. Available at: https://www.michiganflora.net/species.aspx?id=2197 [Accessed March 31, 2020].
- Soreng, R.J. 2007. Poa. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico. 19+ vols. New York and Oxford. Vol. 24 pp. 486–594.
- Voss, E.G., and A.A. Reznicek. 2012. Field Manual of Michigan Flora. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI. 1008 pp.