Derivation
Poa L., Sp. Pl. 67 (1753); from the Greek poa (grass, especially as fodder).

clivicola- from the Latin clivus (hill) and -cola (dweller). Mountain species.

Published in
Contr. New South Wales Natl Herb. 4: 213 (1970).

Habit
Perennial, tufted. Basal leaf sheaths herbaceous, pallid, glabrous. Young shoots intravaginal. Culms slender, 15–60 cm tall, 1–2-noded. Mid-culm internodes terete, smooth, glabrous. Mid-culm nodes glabrous. Lateral branches simple. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths smooth or scaberulous, glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringed membrane, 0.4–1.5 mm long, truncate. Leaf-blades erect, filiform, involute, 3–15 cm long, 0.2–0.4 mm wide, rigid. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous, glabrous.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Peduncle smooth. Panicle open, elliptic, effuse, 2–12 cm long. Primary panicle branches 2–5-nate, sparsely divided. Panicle branches capillary, scaberulous.

Spikelets
Spikelets solitary. Pedicels scaberulous. Fertile spikelets many flowered, comprising 2–7 fertile florets, with diminished florets at the apex, oblong, laterally compressed, 3.8–8 mm long, breaking up at maturity. Spikelets disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes smooth. Floret callus glabrous.

Glumes
Glumes persistent, similar. Lower glume lanceolate, 2.4–2.6 mm long, 90% length of upper glume, membranous, 1-keeled, 3-nerved, midnerve scabrous. Lower glume surface smooth or asperulous, rough above. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate, 2.6–3 mm long, membranous, 1-keeled, 1–3-nerved, midnerve scabrous. Upper glume surface smooth or asperulous, rough above. Upper glume apex acute.

Florets
Fertile lemma oblong, lanceolate in profile, 3–4 mm long, membranous, 5-nerved. Lemma midnerve smooth or scaberulous, eciliate or ciliolate, hairy below. Lemma margins eciliate or ciliolate, hairy at base. Lemma apex acute. Palea 90% of length of lemma. Palea keels scabrous, adorned above. Palea surface smooth or scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped. Lodicules 2, membranous. Anthers 3, 1.5–2.5 mm long, yellow or purple. Grain with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

Continental Distribution:
Australasia.

Australian Distribution:
New South Wales, Victoria.

New South Wales: Northern Tablelands, Southern Tablelands. Victoria: Snowfields, East Gippsland.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Pooideae: Poeae

Notes
Endemic. Open eucalypt woodland, swampy plain, open grassland, frost hollows, apparently usually in wet sites. Flowers Dec.–Feb. Fruits Feb.–?.