Paspalum jaliscanum

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary, or caespitose. Rhizomes elongated; scaly; hairy. Culms geniculately ascending; slender; 100 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous, or pubescent. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths longer than adjacent culm internode; hirsute; with tubercle-based hairs; outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 3 mm long. Leaf-blades 12–20 cm long; 12–15 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib prominent beneath. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins ciliate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 5–12; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 4–7 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 6–8 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular; 0.6–0.7 mm wide; glabrous on margins. Spikelet packing crowded; irregular.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; plano-convex; obtuse; 2.2–2.3 mm long; 1.3 mm wide; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent; with tubercle-based hairs. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 3 -veined; concave across back; pubescent on midvein; obtuse. Fertile lemma ovate; 2.2 mm long; indurate; yellow; shiny; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea involute; indurate.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana and western South America.

NOTES Paniceae. Chase 1994.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.