Poa fendleriana

This species hybridizes other Poa including Poa cusickii ssp. pallida, which results in the stable, apomictic taxon Poa x nematophylla (Howard 1997, FNA vol. 24, 2007).

Poa fendleriana is a wide ranging C3 perennial grass occurring across much of the western United States, southwestern Canada, and Mexico. With a large range extent, more than 1,000 occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure. See P.f. ssp. albescens, P.f. ssp. fendleriana, and P.f. ssp. longiligula for additional information.

Poa fendleriana occurs in western Canada, the western United States, and Mexico from British Columbia to Manitoba and south to Mexico with occurrences in the Great Basin and Colorado Plateaus, Sierra Nevadas, and the Rocky Mountains (Soreng and van Devender 1989, FNA 2007, Soreng and Peterson 2012). Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1983 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024). Three subspecies are recognized: P.f. ssp. albescens is largely found in Sierra Occidental of Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico and southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico at the northern edge of the species range; P.f. ssp. fendleriana of Sonora, Mexico and north to Utah, Colorado, and the Dakotas; and P.f. ssp. longiligula occurs from from Baja California (Mexico) north to southwestern Canada with a tendency to have a more westward distribution than the other subspecies (Howard 1997, FNA 2007). Intermediate plants are found where ranges transition and overlap. See each of these taxa for additional conservation information.

By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1983 and 2024, it is estimated that there are over 1,400 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).

Although threats are not widely documented, this species is desirable forage for grazing livestock. In some areas, excessive grazing will eliminate plants, but it is thought to tolerate moderately heavy grazing. Rotational grazing is implemented to maintain the forage species for livestock. The species response to fire is variable, from beneficial to harmful depending on timing, frequency, and intensity and whether the habitat is fire-maintained (Howard 1997, Simic et al. 2023). It can sprout from burned plants and reestablish post-fire from seeds (Howard 1997). This species is competitive with some exotic species; adult plants of Poa fendleriana are shown to suppress the invasion of Bromus tectorum (Porensky et al. 2021).