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Vasey grass, Vasey's grass

Latin American crowngrass, Mexican paspalum

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

50-220 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous or pubescent.

10-53 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 2-4.1 mm;

blades 5-25(80) cm long, 2.9-10.2(12) mm wide, flat.

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 1-5 racemosely arranged branches;

branches 1.1-5.4(7) cm, divergent;

branch axes 0.8-1.3 mm wide, not or narrowly winged, glabrous, 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).

2.1-2.6 mm long, 1.7-2.4 mm wide, paired, appressed to the branch axes, broadly obovate to suborbicular, shortly pubescent, light to dark brown.

Caryopses

1.2-1.7 mm, white.

1.3-1.5 mm, white.

Lower

glumes absent;

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

upper florets stramineous.

glumes absent;

upper glumes and lower lemmas shortly pubescent, 5-7-veined, margins entire;

lower paleas rarely present;

upper florets dark glossy brown.

2n

= 40.

= 30,32,40,60.

Paspalum urvillei

Paspalum convexum

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
LA; MD; MS; TX; 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 convexum grows in disturbed areas in the southern United States. It is native from Mexico and the Caribbean Islands to Brazil. It is not considered to have particularly high forage value.

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

Source FNA vol. 25. FNA vol. 25, p. 581.
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. blodgettii, P. boscianum, P. caespitosum, P. conjugatum, P. conspersum, 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. Humb. & Bonpl. ex Flüggé
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