Paspalum bifidum
Paspalum notatum
pitchfork crowngrass, pitchfork paspalum
bahia grass
60-140 cm, erect;
nodes glabrous.
20-110 cm, erect;
nodes glabrous.
pubescent;
ligules 2-4 mm;
blades to 37 cm long, 2.2-11 mm wide, flat.
glabrous or pubescent;
ligules 0.2-0.5 mm;
blades 5-31 cm long, 2-10 mm wide, flat or conduplicate, glabrous or pubescent.
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, usually composed of a digitate pair of branches, 1-3 additional branches sometimes present below the terminal pair;
branches 3-15 cm, diverging to erect;
branch axes 0.7-1.8 mm wide, narrowly winged, glabrous, margins scabrous, terminating in a spikelet, distal spikelets sometimes reduced.
3.1-4 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, paired, not imbricate, appressed to the branch axes, elliptic to obovate, yellow-brown.
2.5-4 mm long, 2-2.8 mm wide, solitary, appressed to the branch axes, broadly elliptic to ovate or obovate, glabrous, light stramineous to white, apices obtuse to broadly acute.
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 glabrous, 5-veined;
lower lemmas 5-veined, margins inrolled;
upper florets light yellow to white.
2.6-2.9 mm, purple.
2-3 mm, white.
= unknown.
= 20, 30, 40.
Paspalum bifidum
Paspalum notatum
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 notatum is native from Mexico through the Caribbean and Central America to Brazil and northern Argentina. It was introduced to the United States for forage, turf, and erosion control. It is now established, generally being found in disturbed areas and at the edges of forests in the southeastern United States.
Paspalum notatum is sometimes treated as having distinct varieties. They are not recognized here because the variation among them is continuous. A number of cultivars have been developed for use as turf grasses; among these cultivars are 'Common Bahiagrass', 'Pensacola Bahiagrass', and 'Argentine Bahiagrass'.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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