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Florida paspalum

hairyseed paspalum

Habit Plants perennial; rhizomatous. Plants perennial; usually decumbent, rooting at the nodes.
Culms

80-210 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous or pubescent.

30-130 cm, decumbent;

nodes glabrous or pubescent.

Sheaths

glabrous or pubescent;

ligules 1.2-3.3 mm;

blades to 52 cm long, 3-18 mm wide, flat, glabrous or pubescent, usually densely pubescent behind the ligules.

glabrous or pubescent;

ligules 1-3.2 mm;

blades to 31 cm long, 4-18 mm wide, flat, glabrous, with a few hairs behind the ligules.

Panicles

terminal, with 1-6 racemosely arranged branches;

branches 3-17.9 cm, divergent to erect, terminating in a spikelet;

branch axes 0.3-1.8 mm wide, glabrous, the margins scabrous.

terminal, with 2-7 racemosely arranged branches;

branches 2.2-7.9 cm, divergent to spreading, terminating in a spikelet;

branch axes 1.1-2.3 mm wide, narrowly winged, glabrous, margins scabrous.

Spikelets

2.9-4.1 mm long, 1.9-3.1 mm wide, paired, imbricate, appressed to the branch axes, elliptic to suborbicular to orbicular, glabrous, stramineous.

2.8-3.6 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, paired, imbricate, appressed to divergent from the branch axes, elliptic to obovate, pubescent or glabrous, light brown to stramineous.

Lower glumes

absent;

upper glumes glabrous, 5-veined, margins entire;

lower lemmas glabrous, lacking ribs over the veins, 3-veined, margins entire;

upper florets golden brown.

absent;

upper glumes and lower lemmas glabrous or sparsely pubescent, hairs shorter than 0.1 mm, 3-veined, margins entire;

lower lemmas lacking ribs over the veins;

upper florets stramineous.

Caryopses

2.8 mm, amber.

1.8-2 mm, golden brown or white.

2n

= 120, 140, ca. 160-170.

= 60, ca. 64.

Paspalum floridanum

Paspalum pubiflorum

Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CO; DC; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Paspalum floridanum grows along the edges of forests, flatwoods, and pinewoods and in open areas. It is a frequent component of dry-mesic soils in longleaf pine-oak-grass ecosystems, and is restricted to the eastern United States.

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

Paspalum pubiflorum grows on the edges of forests and in disturbed areas. It is native to the southeastern United States, Mexico, and Cuba.

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

Source FNA vol. 25, p. 599. FNA vol. 25, p. 597.
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. dilatatum, P. dissectum, P. distichum, P. fimbriatum, 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. pleostachyum, P. plicatulum, P. praecox, P. quadrifarium, P. racemosum, P. repens, P. scrobiculatum, P. setaceum, P. unispicatum, P. urvillei, P. vaginatum, P. virgatum, P. virletii, P. wrightii
Synonyms P. longicilium, P. floridanum var. glabratum, P. difforme P. pubiflorum var. glabrum, P. geminum
Name authority Michx. Rupr. ex E. Fourn.
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