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Vasey grass, Vasey's grass

talquezal

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

50-220 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous or pubescent.

100-200 cm, stout, 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;

ligules 1.9-2.2 mm, brown;

blades 30-90 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, flat, glabrous, pubescent behind the ligules.

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 10-20 racemosely arranged branches;

branches 3-15 cm, spreading to diverging;

branch axes 1-1.7 mm wide, winged, wings narrower than the central section, 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).

2.2-3.2 mm long, 1.8-2.4 mm wide, paired, appressed to or diverging from the branch axes, obovate, brown.

Caryopses

1.2-1.7 mm, white.

Lower

glumes absent;

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

upper florets stramineous.

glumes absent;

upper glumes and lower lemmas glabrous or variously short pubescent, 5-veined, margins entire;

upper florets 2.5-2.7 mm, brown.

2n

= 40.

= 36, 40, 54, 80.

Paspalum urvillei

Paspalum virgatum

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
AL; GA; TX; PR; Virgin Islands
[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 virgatum is native from Mexico to South America. It has been introduced to the southeastern United States, where it grows primarily in disturbed areas and cultivated fields.

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

Source FNA vol. 25. 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. 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. 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. virletii, P. wrightii
Name authority Steud. L.
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