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hairyseed paspalum

tropical paspalum

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

30-130 cm, decumbent;

nodes glabrous or pubescent.

80-110 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous.

Sheaths

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.

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 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.

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

2.8-3.6 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.

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 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.

absent;

upper glumes glabrous, 5-veined;

lower lemmas glabrous, 3-veined;

upper florets 1.4-2 mm, white to stramineous.

Caryopses

1.8-2 mm, golden brown or white.

1-1.6 mm, suborbicular, brown.

2n

= 60, ca. 64.

= unknown.

Paspalum pubiflorum

Paspalum pleostachyum

Distribution
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]
from FNA
FL; PR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

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. 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. praecox, 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. pubiflorum var. glabrum, P. geminum
Name authority Rupr. ex E. Fourn. Doll
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