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Dallis grass, sticky heads

tropical paspalum

Habit Plants perennial; cespitose, rhizomatous, rhizomes short (less than 1 cm), forming a knotty base. Plants perennial; cespitose.
Culms

50-175 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous.

80-110 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous.

Sheaths

glabrous or pubescent, lower sheaths more frequently pubescent than the upper sheaths;

ligules 1.5-3.8 mm;

blades to 35 cm long, 2-16.5 mm wide, flat, mostly glabrous, adaxial surfaces with a few long hairs near the base.

glabrous, sparsely pubescent apically;

ligules 1-2.9 mm;

blades to 62 cm long, 3-7 mm wide, mostly involute, pubescent above, glabrous below.

Panicles

terminal, with 2-7 racemosely arranged branches;

branches 1.5-12 cm, racemose, divergent;

branch axes 0.7-1.4 mm wide, winged, glabrous, margins scabrous, terminating in a spikelet.

terminal, with 3-15 racemosely arranged branches;

branches 5.2-12.5 cm, divergent to spreading, terminating in a spikelet;

branch axes 0.3-0.8 mm wide, very narrowly winged, scabrous.

Spikelets

2.3-4 mm long, 1.7-2.5 mm wide, paired, appressed to the branch axes, ovate, tapering to an acute apex, stramineous (rarely purple).

2.2-2.5 mm long, 1-1.3 mm wide, paired, appressed to the branch axes, elliptic to obovate, white to light stramineous.

Lower glumes

absent;

upper glumes and lower lemmas 5-7-veined, margins pilose;

upper florets stramineous.

absent;

upper glumes glabrous, 5-veined;

lower lemmas glabrous, 3-veined;

upper florets 1.4-2 mm, white to stramineous.

Caryopses

2-2.3 mm, white to brown.

1-1.6 mm, suborbicular, brown.

2n

= 20, 40, 50-63.

= unknown.

Paspalum dilatatum

Paspalum pleostachyum

Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; DC; FL; GA; IL; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NM; OK; OR; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV; HI; PR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; PR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Paspalum dilatatum is native to Brazil and Argentina. It is now well established in the Flora region, generally as a weed in waste places. It is also used as a turf grass.

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

Paspalum pleostachyum grows in sandy soil or rocky areas in Florida, the West Indies, and from northern South America to Brazil. It is usually found along the coast.

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

Source FNA vol. 25, p. 579. FNA vol. 25.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Paspalum Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Paspalum
Sibling taxa
P. acuminatum, P. almum, P. bifidum, P. blodgettii, P. boscianum, P. caespitosum, P. conjugatum, P. conspersum, P. convexum, P. coryphaeum, 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. intermedium, P. laeve, P. langei, P. laxum, P. lividum, P. malacophyllum, P. minus, P. modestum, P. monostachyum, P. nicorae, P. notatum, P. paniculatum, 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 Poir. Doll
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