布查早熟禾 bu cha zao shu he

Perennials, loosely tufted, rhizomatous; shoots extravaginal. Culms erect, decumbent at base, 50–80 cm tall, 1–2 mm in diam., nodes 2 or 3, 1 or 2 exserted, lower internodes smooth or scabrid. Leaf sheaths pale green, compressed, moderately keeled, smooth or scabrid, glabrous, 2–4 × as long as blade, uppermost closed for 1/3–2/5 of length; blade flat or folded with margins slightly inrolled, thin to moderately thin, 5–20 cm × 1–3 mm, abaxially smooth or sparsely to densely scabrid, margins scabrid, of tillers and lower culm to 30 cm; ligule 0.5–1(–2.7) mm, abaxially smooth or scabrid, glabrous, apex truncate or infrequently obtuse, collar margins scabrid, glabrous. Panicle loosely contracted to open, (3–)5–15 × 1–9 cm; branches contracted to spreading, 2–5 per node, slender, proximally round and smooth, distally scabrid angled, longest 0.5–7 cm with 2–10 spikelets in distal 1/3–1/2. Spikelets pale green and rosy to dark purple, 4–6 mm, florets 3–4(–6); vivipary absent; rachilla internodes 0.5–1.5 mm, smooth or sparsely scabrid; glumes subequal, keel sparsely scabrid, apex acuminate, lower glume 2–3 mm, 1- or 3-veined, upper glume 3–3.5(–4.5) mm, 3-veined; lemmas pale green and violet to dark purple above, papery-membranous to papery, 4–5 mm, abaxially smooth or minutely bumpy, adaxially smooth or sparsely scabrid, glabrous throughout, keel distally scabrid, intermediate veins prominent, margins smooth, apex acute; callus glabrous; palea smooth or minutely bumpy between keels, keels scabrid in distal 1/2, 5–40 hooks per keel. Anthers 1.5–3 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Jul.

Alpine grassy places on slopes, swales and stony slopes; 2800–3500 m. Xinjiang [Afghanistan (rare), Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan].

Poa koksuensis Goloskokov is expected from the Jungarian Alatau border of China. It can be distinguished from P. bucharica by the totally smooth panicle branches and palea keels with only 1–6 short spinules or entirely smooth.