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Dallis grass, sticky heads

intermediate paspalum

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

50-175 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous.

to 200 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;

ligules 2-3 mm;

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

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 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

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).

2-2.4 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

absent;

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

upper florets stramineous.

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

2-2.3 mm, white to brown.

1.5-1.7 mm, golden brown.

2n

= 20, 40, 50-63.

= 20, 40.

Paspalum dilatatum

Paspalum intermedium

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
GA; LA
[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 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. 579. 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. 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. 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 Poir. Munro ex Morong & Britton
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