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brownseed paspalum

tropical paspalum

Habit Plants perennial; shortly rhizomatous, often indistinctly so. Plants perennial; cespitose.
Culms

30-110 cm, stout, erect;

nodes glabrous.

80-110 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous.

Sheaths

glabrous;

ligules 2-3 mm;

blades to 35 cm long, 2-5.4 mm wide, conduplicate (rarely flat).

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 1.6-7.1 cm, usually divergent, rarely merely ascending;

branch axes 0.6-1.1 mm wide, glabrous, 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

2.5-3 mm long, 1.5-2.2 mm wide, paired, appressed to the branch axes, elliptic-ovate, light to dark brown.

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 usually with short, appressed pubescence, rarely glabrous, 5-veined, margins entire;

lower lemmas with short, appressed pubescence or glabrous, 3-veined, margins entire;

upper florets dark glossy brown.

absent;

upper glumes glabrous, 5-veined;

lower lemmas glabrous, 3-veined;

upper florets 1.4-2 mm, white to stramineous.

Caryopses

1.4-1.6 mm, brown.

1-1.6 mm, suborbicular, brown.

2n

= 20, 40, 60.

= unknown.

Paspalum plicatulum

Paspalum pleostachyum

Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; SC; TX; PR; Virgin Islands
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; PR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Paspalum plicatulum grows in prairies, along forest margins, and in disturbed areas. Its range extends from the southeastern United States through the Caribbean and Mexico to Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina.

(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. 581. 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. 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. 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
Synonyms P. texanum
Name authority Michx. Doll
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