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, li 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 1^ lines long; first glume 

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

 3-nerved, 1^ to 1-J 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 

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



