Paspalum distichum |
Paspalum nicorae |
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knot grass, knotroot paspalum, thompsongrass, water finger-grass |
brunswickgrass |
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Habit | Plants perennial; rhizomatous or cespitose. | Plants perennial; rhizomatous, rhizomes 5-25 cm, conspicuous. |
Culms | 5-65 cm, erect; nodes glabrous. |
10-70 cm, erect to ascending; nodes glabrous. |
Sheaths | glabrous, sparsely long pubescent distally; ligules 1-2 mm; blades to 14 cm long, 1.8-11.5 mm wide, flat or conduplicate, glabrous or pubescent, apices involute. |
glabrous, pubescent apically; ligules 1.2-1.5 mm; blades 6-20 cm long, 4-5 mm wide, flat to conduplicate, glabrous or pubescent. |
Panicles | terminal, usually composed of a digitate pair of branches, a third branch sometimes present below; branches 1.4-7 cm, diverging, often arcuate; branch axes 1.2-2.2 mm wide, winged, glabrous, margins scabrous, terminating in a spikelet. |
terminal, with 2-5 racemosely arranged branches; branches 1.4-5.2 cm, divergent; branch axes about 0.8 mm wide, glabrous, terminating in a spikelet. |
Spikelets | 2.4-3.2 mm long, 1.1-1.6 mm wide, solitary (rarely paired), appressed to the branch axes, broadly elliptic, stramineous, sometimes partially purple. |
2.3-2.7 mm long, 1.4-1.8 mm wide, paired, appressed to or divergent from the branch axes, elliptic, dark brown. |
Lower glumes | absent or, if present, to 1 mm and triangular; upper glumes sparsely and shortly pubescent on the back, 3-veined; lower lemmas glabrous, 3-veined; upper florets stramineous. |
absent; upper glumes shortly pubescent, 5-veined, margins entire; lower lemmas transversely rugose at maturity, glabrous, 5-veined, margins entire; upper florets dark glossy brown. |
Caryopses | 1.9-2.1 mm, yellow. |
about 1.8 mm long, 1.4 mm wide, ellipsoidal. |
2n | = 20, 30, 40, 48, 60, 61. |
= 40. |
Paspalum distichum |
Paspalum nicorae |
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Distribution |
AL; AR; AZ; CA; FL; GA; ID; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NM; NV; OK; OR; PA; SC; TN; TX; UT; VA; WA; HI; PR; Virgin Islands
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AL; FL; GA |
Discussion | Paspalum distichum grows on the edges of lakes, ponds, rice fields, and wet roadside ditches. It is native in warm regions throughout the world, being most abundant in humid areas. In the Western Hemisphere, it grows from the United States to Argentina and Chile. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Paspalum nicorae is native to Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. It was introduced to the United States for use in pastures and as a cover crop in waterways. It is now established in the southeastern United States, growing as a weed in pastures, turf, and other disturbed areas. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 25, p. 575. | FNA vol. 25, p. 584. |
Parent taxa | Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Paspalum | Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Paspalum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. paspaloides | |
Name authority | L. | Parodi |
Web links |
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