1	"Spikelets  12–16 mm long; glumes 9–12 mm long; lemma 7–11 mm long, lemma pointed at apex; tussock-forming rhizomatous grass of coastal sand dunes"	"Poa billardierei"
1	"Spikelets 2.5–13 mm long; glumes 2.5–4 mm long; lemma 1.5–5 mm long, obtuse, truncate, or emarginate, sometimes pointed (in Poa trivialis and sometimes in Poa pratensis); habit and habitat various"	2
2	"Annuals with soft, bright green leaves; ligule conspicuous, thinly membranous; lemma with prominent, hairy nerves; web absent"	3
2	"Perennials; ligule and web various"	5
3	"Inflorescence remaining narrow, often almost spike-like; spikelets mostly more than 5-flowered; lemma 9–11-nerved; native species of dry north-west and south-west coast"	"Poa fax"
3	"Inflorescence finally ovate or triangular, with spreading branches; spikelets mostly 5- or fewer-flowered; lemma 5-nerved; widespread weeds"	4
4	"Spikelets mostly pedicellate; lemma more than 2.5 mm long; anthers 0.7–1.3 mm long"	"Poa annua"
4	"Spikelets often sessile or subsessile; lemma less than 2.5 mm long; anthers 0.2–0.5 mm long"	"Poa infirma"
5	"Plants bulbous at base or with distinctly bead-like lower internodes; ligule prominent, thinly membranous"	6
5	"Plants not bulbous at base, lower internodes not or barely swollen; ligule various"	8
6	"Spikelets plump, almost as broad as long, often pendent; web absent or rudimentary; panicle rather sparse, with very fine, spreading branches; uncommon native grass of north-west"	"Poa drummondiana"
6	"Spikelets distinctly laterally compressed, longer than broad; web well-developed; panicle moderately dense and contracted; introduced species"	7
7	"Plants bulbous (onion-like) at base from enlarged, fleshy basal sheaths; inflorescence very compact, less than 6 cm long; spikelets 3–6-flowered; mostly dry regions (Murray Mallee and Wimmera)"	"Poa bulbosa"
7	"Plants with swollen lower internodes; inflorescence loosely contracted, mostly more than 6 cm long; spikelets commonly 2 (rarely 3)-flowered; mostly cool, high-rainfall areas"	"Poa trivialis"
8	"Ligule conspicuous, 1 mm long or more, thinly membranous to papery, virtually or quite glabrous"	9
8	"Ligule inconspicuous, rarely exceeding 1 mm (occasionally to 1.5 mm in P. clelandii), firm, usually minutely pubescent on the back and at the apex"	15
9	"Rhizomatous grass with stiff, glaucous blades and purplish sheaths; lemma entirely glabrous; apparently only Lake Omeo near Benambra"	"Poa orba"
9	"Features not as above"	10
10	"Tufted or shortly stoloniferous species, rarely with a short, oblique rhizome; ligule obtuse to acute or jagged at apex"	11
10	"Rhizome well-developed; ligule obtuse, entire at apex"	13
11	"Plants usually developing short, leafy stolons from base; web well-developed; lemma hairy at least along keel, often distinctly incurved near apex; sheaths usually purplish; exotic grass from well-watered, lowland sites"	"Poa trivialis"
11	"Plants tufted; web absent; lemma subglabrous to glabrous, not incurved toward apex; sheaths pale; native grasses, typically of high-altitude, usually rocky sites"	12
12	"Leaves fine and inrolled-terete, less than 0.5 mm diam.; panicle pyramidal, spreading at maturity; spikelets 2–5 mm long"	"Poa hookeri"
12	"Leaves flat or folded, 2 mm wide or more; panicle narrow and contracted with rather few, plump spikelets, mostly more than 5 mm long"	"Saxipoa saxicola"
13	"Web well-developed; lemma membranous toward apex; glumes unequal, scabrous along keel; widespread exotic grass"	"Poa pratensis"
13	"Web absent; lemma rather firm throughout; glumes subequal, smooth along keel; native grasses of the west and north"	14
14	"Leaf-blades flat, thin-textured, scabrous, to 4 mm wide; spikelets to 11 mm long; glumes slightly shorter than lower lemma; heavy, seasonally inundated soils in the north"	"Poa fordeana"
14	"Leaf-blades folded, rather thick, smooth, to 2 mm wide; spikelets to 8 mm long; glumes as long as or slightly exceeding lower lemma; saline lakes of volcanic plain"	"Poa sallacustris"
15	"Lower part of culms and lower (abaxial) surface of leaf-blades smooth to scabrous, but not pubescent"	16
15	"Lower part of culms and lower (abaxial) surface of leaf-blades scabrous-pubescent to softly pubescent"	45
16	"Plants stoloniferous (young plants tufted), often developing leafy aerial stems; leaves narrow, flaccid, blade flat to angular-terete, mostly c. 0.5 (rarely to 1.5) mm wide, usually with c. 5, raised, smooth or scabrous nerves; culms weak and slender; web absent; principally of damp, shaded situations in the south"	17
16	"Plants tufted or rhizomatous; if ever developing leafy aerial stems, other features not as above"	18
17	"Leaf-sheath red, connate when young; ligule 0.8–2.6 mm long; lemma glabrous between nerves; restricted to the Brisbane Ranges, and Werribee and Lerderderg Gorges"	"Poa amplexicaulis"
17	"Leaf-sheath usually not red or connate; ligule 0.3–1.5 mm long; lemma with at least some hairs between nerves"	"Poa tenera"
18	"Leaf-blades flat, weakly or closely folded when fresh, the margins often becoming inrolled on drying"	19
18	"Leaf-blades narrow and inrolled-terete or inrolled-angular in section"	27
19	"Rhizomes developed; lower leaf-sheaths usually distinctly purplish"	20
19	"Rhizomes not developed under normal conditions (but, in response to disturbance or in rocky sites, short rhizomes may be produced); lower leaf-sheaths generally pale"	22
20	"Culms and sheaths of culm-leaves distinctly compressed; leaves smooth and glabrous, apex keeled, abruptly tapered and often slightly incurved; usually in damper lowlands, but ascending to subalps in the Grampians"	"Poa clelandii"
20	"Culms and sheaths terete or weakly compressed; leaves scabrous or minutely hairy at least on upper (inner) surface; typically of mountain forests, subalps or alps"	21
21	"Leaves distinctly scabrous, blade flat or weakly folded, upper surface scabrous but lacking hairs; web usually well-developed; mainly mountain forests"	"Poa ensiformis"
21	"Leaves smooth to slightly scabrous, blade generally folded with upper (inner) surface bearing short, fine, sparse to moderately dense hairs; web weakly developed or absent; alps and subalps (var. hothamensis)"	"Poa hothamensis"
22	"Lemma glabrous, web reduced or absent (var. labillardierei - a form of the volcanic plains)"	"Poa labillardierei"
22	"Lemma hairy at least along keel in lower part, web various"	23
23	"Culm and sheaths of culm-leaves strongly compressed; web absent"	"Poa clelandii"
23	"Culm terete or slightly compressed; web developed"	24
24	"Leaves smooth or very minutely scabrous; panicle contracted; mallee or coastal sands"	25
24	"Leaves distinctly scabrous; panicle spreading at maturity; rarely truly coastal and not in mallee"	26
25	"Leaves normally less than one-half height of plant; spikelets usually dappled purple; lemmas relatively broad, truncate or emarginate at apex; uncommon grass of the north-west"	"Poa lowanensis"
25	"Leaves normally more than one-half height of plant; spikelets normally green or straw-coloured; lemmas narrow, usually rounded at apex; coastal and estuarine foreshores (var. poiformis)"	"Poa poiformis"
26	"Leaf-blades 3–8 mm wide; lemmas more or less lanceolate in profile; mostly occurring by streams above c. 1000 m"	"Poa helmsii"
26	"Leaf-blades 1–3.5 mm wide; lemmas usually more or less oblong in profile; mostly on alluvial soils below c. 1500 m (var. labillardierei)"	"Poa labillardierei"
27	"Blades rigid, often sharp-pointed"	28
27	"Blades flaccid to firm, but neither rigid nor sharp-pointed"	37
28	"Sheaths purplish; blades distinctly scabrous; web well-developed; lemma hairy along the midvein and margins near the base but internerves glabrous; rare grass of subalps (var. acris)"	"Poa labillardierei"
28	"Plant not combining features as above"	29
29	"Inflorescence narrow and contracted at maturity; web copious, or if lacking, lemma glabrous or subglabrous; plants of lowlands"	30
29	"Inflorescence pyramidal, with spreading branches at maturity; web not or rarely well-developed, lemma pubescent in lower half or entirely glabrous; alpine or subalpine grasses"	33
30	"Web absent or reduced to a very few hairs; lemma glabrous (var. labillardierei - a form of the volcanic plains)"	"Poa labillardierei"
30	"Web well-developed; lemma usually hairy"	31
31	"Entire plant rarely more than 25 cm high; leaves fine (to 0.5 mm diam); inflorescence often almost spike-like, to 4 cm long; rhizomatous or sometimes stoloniferous or tufted; coastal, mostly on calcareous sands or sands overlying basalt"	"Poa halmaturina"
31	"Plant generally exceeding 25 cm in height; leaves relatively coarse (>0.5 mm diam.); inflorescence open to contracted, but hardly spike-like, longer than 4 cm; plants normally tufted (but branching from the lower nodes in P. poiformis var. ramifer)"	32
32	"Leaves normally less than one-half height of plant; spikelets usually dappled purple; lemmas relatively broad, truncate or emarginate at apex; uncommon grass of north-west"	"Poa lowanensis"
32	"Leaves normally more than one-half height of plant; spikelets normally green or straw-coloured; lemmas narrow, usually rounded at apex; coastal and estuarine foreshores (var. poiformis)"	"Poa poiformis"
33	"Leaves bright green; sheath not or rarely purplish; moister sites, including bogs and creek margins"	"Poa costiniana"
33	"Leaves slightly to strongly glaucous; sheath commonly red or purplish; mostly of drier sites"	34
34	"Lemmas distinctly hairy on the internerves in the lower half; plants sometimes shortly stoloniferous"	35
34	"Lemmas virtually or quite glabrous on the internerves throughout"	36
35	"Blades smooth to the touch, often curved, very stiff and sharp-pointed"	"Poa fawcettiae"
35	"Blades distinctly scabrous, not particularly stiff"	"Poa phillipsiana"
36	"Lemmas hairy along keel and often lateral nerves; web present or absent; strictly tufted; blades usually more than 15 cm long; Mt Buffalo"	"Poa costiniana"
36	"Lemmas entirely glabrous, occasionally the web very weakly developed; usually shortly stoloniferous with several-branched, ascending stems; blades not more than 15 cm long; Macalister and Howqua River catchments"	"Poa orthoclada"
37	"Lemmas distinctly hairy on the internerves in the lower half"	38
37	"Lemmas virtually or quite glabrous on the internerves throughout, sometimes with some hairs along keel and lateral nerves"	42
38	"Blades smooth to the touch; alpine or subalpine grasses"	39
38	"Blades scabrous; sea-level to alps"	40
39	"Blades usually somewhat firm, bluish; at least some sheaths purplish; plants sometimes shortly stoloniferous"	"Poa fawcettiae"
39	"Blades very soft, bright green to somewhat grey-green but not bluish; sheaths not purplish"	"Poa hiemata"
40	"Leaves green to grey-green but not bluish; plants always tufted; very common, widespread (var. sieberiana)"	"Poa sieberiana"
40	"Leaves distinctly bluish; plants sometimes shortly stoloniferous; montane to alpine areas"	41
41	"Sheaths purplish; ligule very short and inconspicuous; tussock often relatively slender; higher alps"	"Poa phillipsiana"
41	"Sheaths pale; ligule occasionally to c. 1 mm long; lemma sometimes sub-glabrous; tussock usually densely leafy; montane areas, mostly in northeast (var. cyanophylla)"	"Poa sieberiana"
42	"Web present (var. labillaridierei)"	"Poa labillardierei"
42	"Web absent (occasionally a few weak hairs present)"	43
43	"Blades smooth, usually bluish; sheaths purplish; junction of blade and sheath not produced into a knob-like swelling; ligules prominently ciliate; usually shortly stoloniferous with several-branched, ascending stems; Macalister and Howqua River catchments"	"Poa orthoclada"
43	"Blades somewhat scabrous, rarely bluish; sheaths pale (or purplish in P. meionectes); junction of blade and sheath commonly produced into a distinct knob-like swelling; ligules microscopically ciliate only; tufted plants; mostly East Gippsland"	44
44	"Glumes relatively broad; lemmas 3–4.5 mm long; leaves often somewhat firm, not shining, nerves usually inconspicuous; highlands"	"Poa clivicola"
44	"Glumes narrow (relative to lemmas); lemmas 2–3.5 mm long; leaves very fine, often shining, with raised nerves; lowlands"	"Poa meionectes"
45	"Blades inrolled, terete or angular in section when fresh; hairs of uniform length"	46
45	"Blades flat to closely folded when fresh; hairs often of different lengths"	50
46	"Plants producing aerial stolons; blades very fine and thin-textured between the prominent nerves, angular in section"	"Poa tenera"
46	"Plants tufted, rarely shortly rhizomatous; blades fine or rather coarse but firm-textured, terete or biconvex in section"	47
47	"Blades densely covered with soft, spreading hairs, often appearing whitish; sheaths purplish; rocky areas at high-altitude"	"Poa petrophila"
47	"Blades sparsely to densely pubescent, usually also somewhat scabrous, not or very rarely appearing whitish; sheath pale; lowlands or lower mountains"	48
48	"Hairs even, dense and spreading from surface"	"Poa rodwayi"
48	"Hairs scattered, acutely inclined to surface or occasionally weakly spreading"	49
49	"Culms weak, usually lacking nodes between basal leaves and inflorescence, soon lain flat by wind; lemma glabrous between nerves; margins of salt lakes in south-west"	"Poa physoclina"
49	"Culms rarely, if ever, lacking nodes between basal leaves and inflorescence, remaining erect; lemma pubescent to some degree between nerves; widespread grasses, usually of dry forests, woodlands or grasslands (var. hirtella)"	"Poa sieberiana"
50	"Plants distinctly rhizomatous; sheaths purplish; upper leaf surface sparsely pubescent with scattered fine hairs; montane forests (var. parviflora)"	"Poa hothamensis"
50	"Plants tufted, rarely shortly rhizomatous; sheaths usually pale; upper leaf surface densely pubescent; mostly lowlands"	"Poa morrisii"