3 Paspalum Boscianum Fliigge. Bull paspalum. Fig. 142. 



Tufted annual; culms 3-10 dm. long, 2-7 mm. thick, ascending, often prostrate 

 basally, rooting and genuflexed at the nodes, purple; ligule a brown scale 2-4 mm. 

 long; blades 1-4 dm. long, 5-13 mm. broad, flat or folded, pilose near the ligule; 

 lowermost sheaths inconspicuously pilose; axis of panicle 5-10 cm. long; racemes 

 (2 to) 4 to 11 (to 15), 2-9 cm. long, ascending, arcuate, pilose in the axils; rachis 

 2-2.5 mm. broad, olivaceous, the pedicels attached in a narrow central rib, the 

 marginal winglike portions mostly broader than the rib; spikelets paired or by 

 abortion a few in the same raceme solitary, 2-2.3 mm. long, plano-convex, 

 brownish, obovate-orbicular, glabrous; first glume always absent; second glume 

 and sterile lemma thin; fruit brown and shining at maturity. 



In moist or wet open ground, along margins of ditches and ponds, reported to 

 occur in e. Tex., summer-fall; Coastal States, Va. to Tex. and inland to Tenn. 

 and Ark.; W. I. 



4. Paspalum virgatum L. Fig. 143. 



Robust tufted perennial; culms 1-2 m. long, 2-8 mm. thick erect, unbranched; 

 ligule a scale 0.5-2.5 mm. long; blades 30-75 cm. long, 10-25 mm. broad, firm, 

 flat, marginally serrulate, pilose near the ligule; sheaths pilose at the summit; axis 

 of panicle 12-25 cm. long; racemes 7 to 25, 3-15 cm. long, ascending; rachis 

 1-1.5 mm. broad, purplish-olive or olive-purple, the central rib (to which the 

 pedicels are attached) narrow, the winglike margins slightly broader than the rib, 

 commonly with some few scattered cilia; spikelets paired, 2.5-3.2 mm. long, 

 brownish or purplish-brown, elliptic to narrowly obovate, much-compressed, 

 plano-convex; first glume always absent; second glume softly spreading pubes- 

 cent, the hairs longer near the margin; sterile lemma often nearly glabrous; fruit 

 pale-brownish. 



Moist clay loam, disturbed places, in wet or swampy ground, in the Tex. s. Rio 

 Grande Plains, rare (Cameron Co.); widespread in trop. Am. n. to Tex. and Cuba. 



5. Paspalum UrvUIei Steud. Vasey grass. Fig. 144. 



Tufted perennial, often shortly subrhizomatous basally; culms 7-20 dm. long, 

 2.5-8 mm. thick, mostly strictly erect; ligule a scale 3-6 mm. long (base of blade 

 pilose); blades 1-4 dm. long, 4-13 mm. broad, flat, essentially glabrous except 

 near the ligule; lowerrriost sheaths densely pilose; panicle axis 8-25 cm. long; 

 racemes (8 to) 12 to 22, 2-13 cm. long, pilose at the axils; rachis about 1 mm. 

 broad, greenish and purplish, flattened, the pedicels attached at the central rib, 

 the marginal portions about as broad as the rib; spikelets paired, (2-) 2.2-2.7 (-3) 

 mm. long, broadly obovate, greenish-stramineous, much-flattened, plano-convex, 

 extended in the broad triangular point beyond the fruit; first glume always absent; 

 second glume softly silky-pubescent, this pubescence much longer near the margins 

 than in the center; sterile lemma nearly glabrous at the center; fruit elliptic-oblong, 

 slightly obovate. 



Loamy disturbed usually very moist soil, in wet savannahs, in ponds and along 

 ditches and streams, in s.e. Okla. (Waterfall), e., s.c. and n.-cen. Tex., rare w. to 

 Edwards Plateau, spring-fall; nat. of S. A., now distributed in N. A., n. to N. C, 

 the Gulf States and Ark.; Calif. 



6. Paspalum dilatatum Poir. Dallis grass. Fig. 145. 



Tufted perennial, shortly subrhizomatous basally; culms 3-15 dm. long, 2-6 

 mm thick, erect or somewhat sprawling and slightly genuflexed and rarely rooting 

 at the lower 1 or 2 nodes; ligule a scale 2-5 mm. long (base of blade pilose); 

 blades 7-36 cm. long, 4-12 mm. broad, flat, essentially glabrous except near the 

 ligule; lowermost sheaths pilose; panicle axis (3-) 5-10 (-15) cm. long; racemes 

 3 to 6 (to 11), 4-12 cm. long, pilose at ihe axils; rachis 0.8-1.7 mm. broad, 



292 



