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

, is described and illustrated. The new species was found growing on sandy, volcanic soil in - dominated grasslands southwest of Ambato and 2.2 km from Fecundo Vela in Provincia de Bolivar. The new species is morphologically similar to 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 in Ecuador.