Paspalum vaginatum Sw.

large seashore paspalum


Info

Subfamily: Panicoideae
Genus etymology: Paspalum = "millet" [Greek] some species are used as cereals
Species etymology: vaginatum = "sheathed" [Latin] refering to the nodes being covered by sheaths
Photosynthetic type: C4 (warm season)
Nativity: naturalized - accidental
First recorded in Hawaiʻi: 1936

Map

 Distribution of Paspalum vaginatum in Hawaiʻi.
 Distribution of Paspalum vaginatum in Hawaiʻi.

Inflorescence

Paspalum vaginatum Inflorescence
Paspalum vaginatum Inflorescence
Paspalum vaginatum Inflorescence
Paspalum vaginatum Inflorescence
Paspalum vaginatum Inflorescence

Plant

Paspalum vaginatum Plant

Habit

Paspalum vaginatum Habit

Spikelets

Paspalum vaginatum Spikelets
Paspalum vaginatum Spikelets
Paspalum vaginatum Spikelets
Paspalum vaginatum Spikelets
Paspalum vaginatum Spikelets

Description

Plants perennial; rhizomatous and/or stoloniferous. Culms 10-79 cm, erect; nodes glabrous. 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. 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. 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. Lower glumes absent (rarely present); upper glumes and lower lemmas glabrous, 3-veined; upper florets white. Caryopses 2.8-3.1 mm, yellow. 2n = 20, 40, 60.
(Description source: Barkworth, M.E., Capels, K.M., Long, S. & Piep, M.B. (eds.) 2003. Flora of North America, north of Mexico. Volume 25. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Poaceae, Part 2. Oxford University Press, New York. 783 pp http://floranorthamerica.org/Paspalum_vaginatum )

Plants perennial; rhizomatous and/or stoloniferous. Culms 10-79 cm, erect; nodes glabrous. 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. 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. 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. Lower glumes absent (rarely present); upper glumes and lower lemmas glabrous, 3-veined; upper florets white. Caryopses 2.8-3.1 mm, yellow. 2n = 20, 40, 60.
(Description source: Barkworth, M.E., Capels, K.M., Long, S. & Piep, M.B. (eds.) 2003. Flora of North America, north of Mexico. Volume 25. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Poaceae, Part 2. Oxford University Press, New York. 783 pp http://floranorthamerica.org/Paspalum_vaginatum )

Extensively creeping perennials, stoloniferous, often forming extensive colonies, the stolons slender and wiry to stout and slightly fleshy; culms slightly compressed, 2.5-5(-10) dm long, glabrous, the flowering ones usually shorter, usually grooved, + branching, sterile culms with short, broad, loose, often overlapping sheaths, and conspicuously distichous, stiffly ascending blades, or bladeless. Sheaths often keeled, with small auricles; ligule membranous, ca. 0.5 mm long, with a ring of soft white hairs behind it, the hairs sometimes up to 5 mm long; blades usually stiff, ascending at a uniform angle, 2.5-15 cm long, 3-8 mm wide at base, narrower than summit of sheath, apex attenuate, involute, base abruptly contracted. Racemes 2(-5), opposite or closely approximate, at first erect and appressed together, usually spreading or reflexed at maturity, often subfalcate, 1.5-7.5 cm long, rachis naked at base, 1-2 (--2.5) mm wide, triangular, flexuous, margins minutely scabrous; spikelets pale, solitary, imbricate, oblong, 3-4.5 mm long, 1.2-1.5 mm wide; first glume rarely developed, second glume and first lemma equal, thin, 3-7-nerved, the midnerve of both usually obscure, glabrous; first lemma usually transversely undulate, sometimes conspicuously so; second lemma convex, usually 3- 5-nerved, apex with a few short, stiff cilia, otherwise glabrous; palea flat, 0-2-nerved, similar to lemma. Caryopsis narrowly obovate, slightly concavo-convex, 2.5-3 mm long, subacute. [2n = 18, 20, 40, 60.]
(Description source: O’Connor, P.J. 1990. Poaceae, pp. 1481–1604. In: Wagner W.L., Herbst D.R. & Sohmer S.H. (eds.)., Manual of the flowering plant of Hawaiʻi. Vol. 2. University of Hawaii Press & Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu )