| Note - this takes you off
of our website |
GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Paspalum vaginatum
HABIT Perennial; mat forming. Stolons present. Culms decumbent; 8–60 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 2.5–15 cm long; 3–8 mm wide.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 2(–5); paired, or digitate; unilateral; 1.5–7.5 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; angular; 1–2 mm wide. Spikelet packing abaxial; regular; 2 -rowed.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic, or ovate; dorsally compressed; compressed strongly; plano-convex; acute; 3–4.5 mm long; falling entire.
GLUMES Glumes both absent or obscure, or two (rarely); reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume when present ovate; 0.1–0.2 length of spikelet; hyaline; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 2–3 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 2–3 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 2.5 mm long; indurate; pallid; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute. Palea involute; indurate.
DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern and southeastern. Africa: Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central. North America: south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.
NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
