In North America, this variable species (2n = 35 to 84) is generally thought to be introduced from Europe (FNA 24). However, some botanists have suggested native status to the north (e.g. in the alvars of Ontario), and the common name "Canadian bluegrass" is puzzling. In Ky. it often persists into brushy old fields with a history of overgrazing and trampling, especially on compacted soils that have seasonally xerohydric conditions.