greenish or purplish-olive, flattened, the pedicels attached at the narrow central 

 rib, the marginal portions winglike and at least as broad as the rib; spikelets 

 paired, (2.8-) 3.2-3.5 (-4.1) mm. long, basally obovate, greenish-stramineous, very 

 flattened, compressed plano-convex, extended in a broad triangular point beyond 

 the fruit; first glume always absent; second glume softly pubescent, shortly so in 

 the middle but near the margins with a long silky fringe; sterile lemma softly 

 pubescent; fruit nearly orbicular. 



Loamy disturbed soils in marshy meadows, along streams and irrigation ditches, 

 in mud and water of marshes, lakes and ponds, in Okla. (McCurtain and Co- 

 manche COS.), abundant in e., s.e. and n.-cen. Tex., infrequent in Rio Grande 

 Plains, Edwards Plateau and Trans-Pecos, and Ariz. (Santa Cruz, Pima and Mo- 

 have COS.), spring-fall; nat. of S. A., now rather widely distributed in warm-temp, 

 areas n. to N. J., Tenn., Ark., Okla. and Ore. 



A persistent weed in lawns, almost impossible to eradicate once it has become 

 established. It is an important forage plant. 



7. Paspalum laeve Michx. Fig. 146. 



Tufted perennial, very shortly subrhizomatous basally; culms 3-9 dm. long, 

 about 2 mm. thick, erect, unbranched; ligule a brown scale 1-2 mm. long; blades 

 6-40 cm. long, 3-10 mm. broad, flat or folded, glabrous or pilose; sheaths some- 

 what keeled, glabrous or pilose; panicle axis 3-10 (-19) cm. long; racemes (2 to) 

 3 to 6 (to 9), 3-11 cm. long, spreading, pilose in the axils; rachis about 1 mm. 

 broad, dark-olive-green, with a zigzag central rib, the pedicels attached on this 

 rib where it is nearest the margin, the narrow winglike margins interrupted; 

 spikelets solitary, 2.4-3.1 mm. long, very broadly obovate to orbicular, pale or 

 stramineous-olive, plano-convex, blunt; first glume always absent; second glume 

 and sterile lemma firm-membranous, glabrous. P. longipilum Nash, P. circulare 

 Nash. 



Sandy loam, prairies and open forests, wet pine barrens, -marshy ground along 

 ditches and borders of lakes, ponds and bayous, wet savannahs, in Okla. 

 (McCurtain Co.) and in e. and s.e. Tex. and extreme n.e. Rio Grande Plains 

 (Nueces Co.), infrequent, summer-fall; Coastal States, Mass. to Tex. and inland 

 to O., Ind., III., Mo., Kan. and Okla. 



8. Paspalum praecox Walt. Fig. 143. 



Tufted perennial, very shortly rhizomatous basally, culms 5-15 dm. long, 1-3 

 mm. thick, erect, unbranched; ligule a brown scale 1-3 mm. long; blades 1-3 (-4) 

 dm. long, 3-10 mm. broad, flat or usually folded, glabrous to pilose; sheaths 

 glabrous to pilose, keeled; panicle axis 5-17 cm. long; racemes (2 to) 4 to 6 (to 

 9), 2-7 (—9) cm. long, arcuate, ascending or spreading, shortly bearded and 

 sometimes also pilose at the axils; rachis 1.3-2 mm. broad, purplish-olive, with a 

 broad central rib to which the pedicels are attached, the marginal winglike por- 

 tions firm and narrower than the central rib; spikelets paired or a few by abor- 

 tion solitary on the same raceme, 2.2-3.2 mm. long, orbicular to suborbicular, 

 yellowish-green, occasionally with a purplish-tinge, highly compressed plano- 

 convex; first glume always absent; second glume and sterile lemma membranous, 

 glabrous. P. lentiferum Lam. 



Sandy loam, open pine flats, in wet savannahs, cypress swamps, wet pine bar- 

 rens and flatwoods, in s.e. Tex., infrequent, summer-fall; Coastal States, Va. to 

 Tex. 



9. Paspalum lividum Trin. Longtom. Fig. 143. 



Tufted perennial; culms 50-175 cm. long, compressed, 2-4 mm. thick on the 

 long axis, often basally decumbent and freely rooting for up to 1 m., then 

 ascending at the floriferous ends; ligule a scale 1-3 mm. long; blades 10-23 cm. 



295 



