青海早熟禾 qing hai zao shu he

Type: China. Qinghai: Dulan Xian, Ngola Shan, 36°28'N, 98°14'E, steep S-facing slope, in duff in open Picea stand, ca. 3900 m, 22 Sep 1997, R. J. Soreng, P. M. Peterson & Sun Hang 5461 (holotype, US; isotypes, KUN, PE, others to be distributed).

Haec species aP. hissarica Roshevitz ex Ovczinnikov et P. lipskyi Roshevitz lemmate glabris vel carina ad basim paulo pilosula abaxialiter modice ad dense scabro nervis intermediis prominentibus praedito atque palea inter carinas scabra ad carinas dense scabra; a P. pagophila Bor spiculis plerumque longioribus, 5–9(–10) mm, glumis non papillatis differt.

Perennials, tufted, with or without short rhizomes; shoots extravaginal and intravaginal. Culms few to several, erect, (5–)15–55 cm, nodes 1–3, 0–2 exserted, uppermost to 1/4–1/2 way up, base enclosed in few to many layers of old pale brown sheaths. Leaf sheaths smooth or the lower ones coarsely scabrid, glabrous, 2–15 cm, 1.5–3 × as long as blade, uppermost closed for 1/2 of length; blades flat or folded, moderately thin, 2–10 cm × 2–3(–5) mm, abaxially smooth or scabrid, adaxially scabrid, of tillers to 20 cm; ligules 2–4 mm, abaxially smooth. Panicle open or loosely contracted, 2–10 × 1.5–6 cm, longest internodes 0.4–2.1 cm; branches spreading to reflexed, sinuously flexuous or arched, (1 or)2(–4) per node, rounded and smooth or distally sparsely scabrid and slightly angled, longest 1–6 cm with 2–6 spikelets clustered in distal 1/3, clusters frequently pendent; flowers female or perfect, sometimes whole inflorescences female. Spikelets ovate, purple tinged, 5–9(–10) mm, florets 2–4; vivipary present or commonly absent; rachilla internodes 0.5–1(–1.2) mm, smooth, glabrous; glumes subequal, smooth or keel sparsely scabrid, lower glume 3.5–6 mm, 1- to faintly 3-veined, upper glume 4–7 mm, 3-veined; lemmas (4–)4.5–7.5 mm, veins 5(–9), intermediate veins distinct, apex acute, keel and veins scabrid, hooks fine to coarse, sometimes elongated, occasionally developed into short villous hairs in the lower 1/3, surfaces proximally moderately to densely scabrid, distally moderately to sparsely scabrid or minutely bumpy; callus glabrous; palea scabrid between keels, keels densely scabrid. Anthers 2–3 mm, or vestigial. Fl. and fr. Jul–Aug.

* Arid subalpine forests, alpine meadows, gravel slopes; 3500–5100 m. Gansu, Qinghai, SE Xinjiang, NE Xizang.

Poa qinghaiensis differs from other species in P. subsect. Cenisiae by the combination of the lemmas lacking villous hairs, being scabrid on the lower sides, and in having pronounced intermediate veins. Specimens were previously treated under the name P. lipskyi or remained unidentified. Although not well studied in P. hissarica or P. lipskyi, vestigial anthers are common in the new species and have not been found in other species in P. subsect. Cenisiae. In many respects, P. qinghaiensis approaches P. pagophila, but that species generally has smaller spikelets and the glumes are strongly papillate. Intermediates between P. qinghaiensis and P. calliopsis have been found at the Kunlun Pass and presumably represent hybridization between them.