Poa laegaardiana, a new species from Ecuador (Poaceae, Pooideae, Poeae, Poinae)

Resumen

<i>Poa laegaardiana</i><b>sp. nov.</b>, is described and illustrated. The new species was found growing on sandy, volcanic soil in <i>Festuca</i>-<i>Calamagrostis</i> dominated grasslands southwest of Ambato and 2.2 km from Fecundo Vela in Provincia de Bolivar. The new species is morphologically similar to <i>Poa gigantea</i> but differs in having glumes 3/4 to 7/8 as long as the adjacent lemmas, a callus with a sparse, short, dorsal tuft of woolly hairs, culms 50-72 cm tall and spikelets 4.1-4.8 mm long. In addition, we include a key to the narrow-spikelike panicled species of <i>Poa</i> in Ecuador.