茁壮早熟禾 zhuo zhuang zao shu he

Annuals or short-lived perennials, stoloniferous. Culms decumbent ascending, 70–85 cm tall, 2–3 mm in diam., smooth, nodes 3–6, none or 1 exserted. Leaf sheaths loose, keeled, smooth, glabrous, 14–17 cm, slightly longer than blade, uppermost closed for ca. 3/4 of length; blade flat, thin, base abruptly narrowed, surfaces smooth, margins scabrid, apex long slender prow-tipped; ligule 3–6 mm, abaxially smooth, apex obtuse, collars smooth, glabrous. Panicle open, 18–22 cm, longest internodes 3.5–4 cm; branches spreading to reflexed, 2 per node, proximally smooth, angled, distally scabrid angled, longest 8–11 cm with 20–40 spikelets in distal 2/3. Spikelets up to 6–7 mm, florets 5 or 6; vivipary absent; glumes purple tinged, keel and sometimes veins sparsely scabrid, lower glume elliptic, 3–3.5 mm, 1-veined, back convex, upper glume 3.7–4 mm, oblong, 3-veined; lemmas 4–5 mm, keel villous for 2/3 of length, marginal veins for 1/2, intermediate veins moderately prominent, areas between veins smooth, glabrous; callus glabrous; palea smooth, glabrous between keels, keels scabrid, medially pilulose. Anthers 0.6–0.9 mm. Fl. and fr. May–Jul.

Grassy places on slopes along Abies forest margins; 3700–4500 m. ?Sichuan [Nepal].

Poa imperialis could be simply a large form P. sikkimensis.