Annual Bluegrass: The 33rd Flower of Spring!

[best appreciated at full size against black]

Have you ever realized that grass has flowers? I don't know about you, but when I think about grass, I see a freshly-mowed lawn. But flowers? Well, if you get down on the ground and look really close, this is what you'll see when grass blooms! SURPRISE! :D There are all kinds of grass too! Did you know that bamboo and reeds are types of grass, for example? And did you know that there are over a dozen species of lawn grass species used, depending on your climate? Amazing!!

This is a flower from Annual Bluegrass, which is in a genus which includes over 500 species! Bluegrass gets its name from the color of the seed head of some species, which turn blue as they mature. Bluegrass is among the most popular lawn grass in the world, and is also used for sports fields, golf courses and horse race courses. Finally, did you know that the roots of certain species is good for treating fresh wounds and bleeding?? And back in the 16th century, some species were used to treat inflamation of the kidney! WOW! I had no idea!!

If you would like to know more about lawn grass, Wiki has a great page here: Wiki: Lawn
If you want to know more about grass species, there's a source on Wiki here: Wiki: Grass
For more information about bluegrass, Wiki has a page here: Wiki: Poa (Bluegrass)

This image was taken in April, 2012.