Paspalum vaginatum

Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Panicoideae
Genus: Paspalum

Paspalum is a genus of the grass family (Poaceae). Commonly known as paspalums, bahiagrasses or dallis grasses most are tall perennial American grasses. They are most diverse in subtropical and tropical regions.

General Characteristics

General: Grass Family (Poaceae). Seashore paspalum is a native, warm season, creeping perennial. Culms are erect, smooth at the nodes and range in heights of 1-7.9 dm. Sheaths are glabrous, overlapping and scantily pubescent apically. Blades range in lengths of 2.5–15 cm and in widths of 3 –8 mm, which may be flat or folded inward length wise. Blades are mostly glabrous having a sparse amount of long hairs located on the top surface close to the base. Ligules are 1-2 mm in length. Racemes are usually in numbers of 2-3 and range in lengths of 1.1-7.9 cm. They are erect and spreading at maturity. Axes are winged, smooth, 1-2 mm wide and have scabrous margins. Spikelets are solitary, glabrous, elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, faint-stramineous in color, 3-4.5 mm long and 1.1-2 mm wide. First glume seldom developed, usually absent. The second glume and sterile lemma are 3-nerved with the nerves suppressed. The fertile floret is comose and white in color. The caryopsis is yellow and is approximately 3 mm long.