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saltwater couch, seashore paspalum

Panama crowngrass, wing paspalum

Habit Plants perennial; rhizomatous and/or stoloniferous. Plants annual.
Culms

10-79 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous.

15-70 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous or pubescent.

Sheaths

glabrous, sparsely long pubescent distally;

ligules 1-2 mm;

blades 10-19 cm long, 1.4-8 mm wide, flat or conduplicate, glabrous or pubescent, apices involute.

pubescent, sometimes sparsely so;

ligules 1-1.9 mm;

blades to 35 cm long, 1.9-16.2 mm wide, flat, sparsely pubescent on both surfaces, margins ciliate basally.

Panicles

terminal, usually composed of a digitate pair of branches, a third branch sometimes present below;

branches 1.1-7.9 cm, diverging to erect;

branch axes 0.4-1.4 mm wide, winged, glabrous, margins scabrous, terminating in a spikelet.

terminal, with 2-8 racemosely arranged branches;

branches 2-6.4 cm, diverging to erect;

branch axes 0.9-1.6 mm wide, winged, glabrous, margins scabrous, terminating in a spikelet.

Spikelets

3-4.5 mm long, 1.1-2 mm wide, solitary, appressed to the branch axes, elliptic-lanceolate, glabrous, light stramineous, apices acute to acuminate.

2.5-3.5 mm long, 2.4-3 mm wide, paired, appressed to the branch axes, suborbicular, stramineous.

Lower glumes

absent (rarely present);

upper glumes and lower lemmas glabrous, 3-veined;

upper florets white.

absent;

upper glumes and lower lemmas 1.9-2.1 mm, ovate, winged, 1-veined, margins ciliate-lacerate;

upper florets 1.7-1.9 mm, stramineous.

Caryopses

2.8-3.1 mm, yellow.

0.9-1.1 mm, orbicular, white.

2n

= 20, 40, 60.

= 20.

Paspalum vaginatum

Paspalum fimbriatum

Distribution
from FNA
AL; CA; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; HI; PR; Virgin Islands
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; HI; PR; Virgin Islands
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Paspalum vaginatum grows in brackish and salt marshes. It is native to warm, coastal regions around the world, including the Americas. It has been grown for turf and in lawn trials, but is not yet widely used for these purposes.

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

Paspalum fimbriatum has probably been introduced into the United States. Its primary range extends from southern Mexico to Colombia, Venezuela, and French Guiana. In the Flora region, it grows in disturbed areas of Florida.

(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. urvillei, 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. 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 Sw. Kunth
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