MANUAL OF THE GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES 



599 



mostly open ground, southern New Jersey to central Florida, west 

 to Texas and southeastern Kansas. 



38. Paspalum giganteum Baldw. 

 (Fig. 1262.) Culms mostly soli- 

 tary from short scaly rhizomes, 

 erect, 1.5 to 2 m tall; leaves 

 numerous at base; blades elongate, 

 10 to 20 mm wide, glabrous or 

 nearly so; racemes commonly 3 or 

 4, 10 to 20 cm long; spikelets oval, 

 about 3.5 mm long, usually russet- 

 tinged. 01 (P. longicilium Nash.) 

 — Moist sandy soil, open ground, 

 stream banks, flatwoods, and ham- 

 mocks, on the Coastal Plain from 

 Georgia to southern Florida; Mis- 

 sissippi (Biloxi). 

 12. Virgata. — Robust; blades firm 



with sharp-cutting edges; 

 racemes several to numerous. 

 Mostly tropical species. 



39. Paspalum virgatum L. ^ 

 (Fig. 1263.) Culms, in large dense ^&^ 

 clumps, erect, 1 to 2 m tall ; sheaths 

 papillose-hirsute at margin and 

 summit; blades elongate, flat, 1 to 

 2.5 cm wide; panicle slightly nod- 

 ding, 15 to 25 cm long; racemes 

 usually 10 to 16, ascending or 



drOOpino;, 5 tO 15 Cm long; Spikelets Figure 1262.— Paspilum giganteum. Panicle, XI; 

 ill 1 I r. rw o r two views of spikelet, and floret, X 10. (Type.) 



crowded, obovate, about 2.2 to 2.5 



mm long, brownish, pubescent along the margin at least toward the 



Figure 1263.— Paspalum virgatum. Panicle, X 1; two views of spikelet, and floret, X 10. (Hitchcock 



9555, Jamaica.) 



summit. 91 — Open, mostly moist or swampy ground, southern 

 Texas (Brownsville) to South America; throughout the West Indies. 



