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Vasey grass, Vasey's grass

Blodgett's crowngrass, coral paspalum

Habit Plants perennial; cespitose, with a knotty base composed of very short (less than 1 cm) rhizomes. Plants perennial; cespitose, bulbous; scales pubescent.
Culms

50-220 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous or pubescent.

40-100 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous.

Sheaths

glabrous or pubescent;

ligules 1-4(7.7) mm;

blades 12-60 cm long, 2-12 mm wide, flat, mostly glabrous, a few long hairs near the base of the adaxial surface.

pubescent or glabrous;

ligules 0.2-0.4 mm;

blades 5-27 cm long, 1.9-8 mm wide, flat, glabrous, pubescent behind the ligules, margins scabrous, often ciliate basally.

Panicles

terminal, with (4)10-30 racemosely arranged branches;

branches 1.2-11.5 cm, divergent;

branch axes 0.5-1.1 mm wide, winged, glabrous, margins scabrous, terminating in a spikelet.

terminal, with 2-6 racemosely arranged branches;

branches 1.5-7.5 cm, diverging to spreading;

branch axes 0.5-0.8 mm wide, narrowly winged, terminating in a spikelet.

Spikelets

1.8-2.8 mm long, 1.1-1.5 mm wide, paired, appressed to the branch axes, elliptic to slightly obovate, stramineous (rarely purple).

1-1.3 mm long, 0.7-0.9 mm wide, paired, appressed to the branch axes, elliptic to elliptic-obovate, glandular pubescent, stramineous to light or golden brown.

Caryopses

1.2-1.7 mm, white.

0.9-1.1 mm in diameter, orbicular, amber.

Lower

glumes absent;

upper glumes and lower lemmas 3-veined, margins pilose;

upper florets stramineous.

glumes absent;

upper glumes and lower lemmas 3-veined;

upper florets 0.8-1.1 mm, stramineous.

2n

= 40.

= 40.

Paspalum urvillei

Paspalum blodgettii

Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; FL; GA; KS; KY; LA; MO; MS; NC; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; HI; PR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; PR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Paspalum urvillei has been introduced to the United States from South America. In the Flora region it grows in disturbed, moist to wet areas, primarily in the southeastern United States.

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

Paspalum blodgettii grows in hammocks, low pinelands, and along roadsides in southern peninsular Florida, the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, southeastern Mexico, and Belize.

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

Source FNA vol. 25. FNA vol. 25, p. 577.
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. pubiflorum, P. quadrifarium, P. racemosum, P. repens, P. scrobiculatum, P. setaceum, P. unispicatum, P. vaginatum, P. virgatum, P. virletii, P. wrightii
P. acuminatum, P. almum, P. bifidum, 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. scrobiculatum, P. setaceum, P. unispicatum, P. urvillei, P. vaginatum, P. virgatum, P. virletii, P. wrightii
Name authority Steud. Chapm.
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