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early paspalum

Indian paspalum, kodo-millet, ricegrass, ricegrass paspalum

Habit Plants perennial; shortly rhizomatous. Plants annual.
Culms

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

nodes glabrous.

10-150 cm, erect or decumbent;

nodes glabrous.

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;

ligules 0.3-1.2 mm, often with a row of hairs behind them;

blades 5-30 cm long, 2-8(12) mm wide, flat, usually glabrous.

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 1-5 digitately or racemosely arranged branches;

branches 3-10 cm, diverging to spreading, persistent;

branch axes 1.5-3 mm wide, broadly winged, glabrous, margins scabrous, terminating in a spikelet.

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.

1.8-3.2 mm long, 2-2.3 mm wide, solitary, diverging from the branch axes, ovate, glabrous, olive green to dark, glossy brown.

Caryopses

1.9-2.1 mm, brown.

1.1-1.5 mm, nearly orbicular.

Lower

glumes absent;

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

upper florets white to light yellow.

glumes absent;

upper glumes as long as the lower lemmas, 5-7-veined;

lower lemmas 3-5-veined;

upper florets 2.5-3 mm long, 1.4-1.8 mm wide, dark glossy brown.

2n

= 20, 40.

= 20, 40, 60, 120.

Paspalum praecox

Paspalum scrobiculatum

Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; IL; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; GA; MD; NJ; TX; HI
[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 scrobiculatium is native to India. It has been found growing in widely scattered disturbed areas of the southeastern United States, possibly as an escape from cultivation. It is grown as a cereal (Kodo) in India.

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

Source FNA vol. 25, p. 597. 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. 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. pubiflorum, P. quadrifarium, P. racemosum, P. repens, P. setaceum, P. unispicatum, P. urvillei, P. vaginatum, P. virgatum, P. virletii, P. wrightii
Synonyms P. praecox var. curtisianum, P. lentiferum P. orbiculare
Name authority Walter L.
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