No. 5. 

 PASPALUM PUBIFLORUM Rupt. 



Plant perennial, coarse, rather glaucous. 



Rootstock creeping, branching, and often rooting at the nodes. 



Culms few in a place, sometimes loosely tufted, ascending or nearly erect ; 

 geniculate below, branching, solid, angular below, nearly terete above, smooth, 

 18 to 30 inches tall, the lower joints woolly. 



Leaves of rootstocks rather coarse, loose scales; of culms 3 to 7; sheaths shorter 

 than internodes, loose, smooth, often with a few scattered hairs along the upper 

 margin; blade flat, 8- to 10-nerved, sparsely ciliate, 3 to 5 lines wide, 4 to 8 inches 

 long; ligule membranaceous, ovate, lacerate, l lines long, decurrent. 



Inflorescence 3 to- 6 narrow, spreading spikes, alternate along the angular axis, 

 2 to 3 inches long; rachis flat, bearing 2, often 4, rows of crowded spikelets in alter- 

 nate rows. 



Spikelets broadly oblong or ovate, 1-flowered, 1 to l\ lines long; first glume 

 broadly oval or hemispherical, with infolded margins, usually softly-pubescent, 

 3-nerved, li to l lines long; second glume broadly oval, flat, with infolded mar- 

 gins, nearly smooth, 3-nerved, of the same length; floral glume indurate, ovate- 

 oblong, convex, with infolded margins, smooth, obscurely 3-nerved, 1 line long; 

 palet indurated, broadly ovate, flat, with infolded margins, smooth, obscurely 

 2-nerved, 1 line long. 



Grain oblanceolate, thick, flat on one side, shiny, dark-brown at maturity, not 

 translucent, 1 line long, falling free or with indurated enveloping palet. 



PLATE V; a. spikelet, side view; b, first empty glume; c, second empty glume; 

 d, floral glume; e, palet and stamens; /, pistil. 



Common in Texas and extending to southern California. In the Southern 

 States is a form with smooth spikelets. Probably a valuable pasture grass. 



