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pitchfork crowngrass, pitchfork paspalum

intermediate paspalum

Habit Plants perennial; rhizomatous. Plants perennial; shortly rhizomatous.
Culms

60-140 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous.

to 200 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous.

Sheaths

pubescent;

ligules 2-4 mm;

blades to 37 cm long, 2.2-11 mm wide, flat.

glabrous;

ligules 2-3 mm;

blades to 57 cm long, 2-3 cm wide, flat, glabrous below, appressed pubescent above.

Panicles

terminal, with 2-5 racemosely arranged branches;

branches 3.7-13 cm, divergent to erect;

branch axes 0.2-0.8 mm wide, glabrous, margins scabrous, terminating in a spikelet.

terminal, with 60-100 racemosely arranged branches;

branches 1-13 cm, divergent to spreading, often arcuate;

branch axes 0.9-1.2 mm wide, winged, margins scabrous, long pubescent.

Spikelets

3.1-4 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, paired, not imbricate, appressed to the branch axes, elliptic to obovate, yellow-brown.

2-2.4 mm long, 0.9-1.2 mm wide, paired, divergent to spreading from the branch axes, elliptic to ovate, glabrous or pubescent, stramineous, sometimes partially purple.

Lower glumes

present or absent;

upper glumes glabrous or sparsely pubescent basally, (6)7-veined, margins entire;

lower lemmas glabrous or sparsely pubescent basally, lacking ribs over the veins, 5-veined, margins entire;

upper florets white.

absent;

upper glumes smooth, 3-veined, margins entire, sparsely short-pubescent, at least distally;

lower lemmas smooth, lacking ribs over the veins, 3-veined, margins entire, glabrous or shortly pubescent;

upper florets stramineous to white.

Caryopses

2.6-2.9 mm, purple.

1.5-1.7 mm, golden brown.

2n

= unknown.

= 20, 40.

Paspalum bifidum

Paspalum intermedium

Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MO; MS; NC; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
GA; LA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Paspalum bifidum is restricted to the southeastern United States. It grows at the edges of forests in longleaf pine-oak-grass ecosystems, usually in dry to mesic loamy sandy soils. It grows vigorously following fire.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Paspalum intermedium is an introduced roadside weed in the Flora region. It is found in Mexico and South America, but not in Central America (Pohl and Davidse 1994).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 25, p. 586. FNA vol. 25, p. 586.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Paspalum Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Paspalum
Sibling taxa
P. acuminatum, P. almum, P. blodgettii, P. boscianum, P. caespitosum, P. conjugatum, P. conspersum, P. convexum, P. coryphaeum, P. dilatatum, P. dissectum, P. distichum, P. fimbriatum, P. floridanum, P. hartwegianum, P. intermedium, P. laeve, P. langei, P. laxum, P. lividum, P. malacophyllum, P. minus, P. modestum, P. monostachyum, P. nicorae, P. notatum, P. paniculatum, P. pleostachyum, P. plicatulum, P. praecox, P. pubiflorum, P. quadrifarium, P. racemosum, P. repens, P. scrobiculatum, P. setaceum, P. unispicatum, P. urvillei, P. vaginatum, P. virgatum, P. virletii, P. wrightii
P. acuminatum, P. almum, P. bifidum, P. blodgettii, P. boscianum, P. caespitosum, P. conjugatum, P. conspersum, P. convexum, P. coryphaeum, P. dilatatum, P. dissectum, P. distichum, P. fimbriatum, P. floridanum, P. hartwegianum, P. laeve, P. langei, P. laxum, P. lividum, P. malacophyllum, P. minus, P. modestum, P. monostachyum, P. nicorae, P. notatum, P. paniculatum, P. pleostachyum, P. plicatulum, P. praecox, P. pubiflorum, P. quadrifarium, P. racemosum, P. repens, P. scrobiculatum, P. setaceum, P. unispicatum, P. urvillei, P. vaginatum, P. virgatum, P. virletii, P. wrightii
Name authority (Bertol.) Nash Munro ex Morong & Britton
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