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early paspalum

hairyseed paspalum

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

5-160 cm, erect, not rooting at the lower nodes;

nodes glabrous.

30-130 cm, decumbent;

nodes glabrous or pubescent.

Sheaths

densely pubescent, occasionally glabrous;

ligules 1-2.2 mm;

blades to 55 cm long, 2.2-8.3 mm wide, conduplicate (occasionally flat), glabrous below, pubescent above.

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 2-10 racemosely arranged branches;

branches 0.8-10.3 cm, divergent to spreading, often arcuate, terminating in a spikelet;

branch axes 0.8-2 mm wide, narrowly winged, glabrous, 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

2.1-3.1 mm long, 2-2.8 mm wide, paired, imbricate, appressed to divergent from the branch axes, orbicular to suborbicular, 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.

Caryopses

1.9-2.1 mm, brown.

1.8-2 mm, golden brown or white.

Lower

glumes absent;

upper glumes and lower lemmas glabrous, 3-veined, margins entire;

upper florets white to light yellow.

glumes 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.

2n

= 20, 40.

= 60, ca. 64.

Paspalum praecox

Paspalum pubiflorum

Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; IL; LA; MS; NC; SC; 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 praecox grows in pitcher plant bogs, wet pine flatwoods, wet savannahs, prairies, and wet streamhead ecotones. It is restricted to the United States, growing predominantly on the southeastern coastal plain.

(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. 597. 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. 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. 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. praecox var. curtisianum, P. lentiferum P. pubiflorum var. glabrum, P. geminum
Name authority Walter Rupr. ex E. Fourn.
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