Paspalum

Paspalum
Paspalum dilatatum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Panicoideae
Tribe:	Paniceae
Genus:	Paspalum L.
Species
Numerous, see text

Water Finger-grass, Paspalum vaginatum

Paspalum is a genus of the grass family (Poaceae). Commonly known as paspalums, bahiagrasses or dallis grasses most are tall perennial American grasses. They are most diverse in subtropical and tropical regions.

P. scrobiculatum (koda, varuka, varuku, etc.) is a millet locally grown as food grain. Some species, such as Bahia Grass (P. notatum) and P. nicorae, are grown for pasturage, especially with Perennial Forage Peanuts (Arachis glabrata) as companion crops. Bahiagrass has also some significance as a honey plant.

Water Finger-grass (P. vaginatum) resembles Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon), but has a higher salinity tolerance and can consume grey water. It is not infrequently used for arena and golf course turf in warmer coastal regions, e.g. in Baja California, Florida, Peru, Texas and Venezuela. Dedicated paspalum cultivars such as 'Aloha Seashore' or 'Platinum TE' have been produced for such uses.

Bahiagrasses are also food for caterpillars of Lepidoptera such as the Pasture Day Moth (Apina callisto), or those of the Dark Palm Dart (Telicota ancilla) which feed on P. urvillei. Granivorous birds often eat paspalum seeds; the Chestnut-breasted Munia (Lonchura castaneothorax) for example is very fond of those of P. longifolium.

Claviceps paspali is a Claviceps sac fungus that grows on Paspalum, producing ergot alkaloids and the tremorgen paspalitrem; it causes "paspalum staggers" poisoning in cattle. Tussock Paspalum (P. quadrifarium) is considered a weed in Australia.^[1]

Selected species

Paspalum azuayense Paspalum arundinaceum Paspalum bakeri Paspalum batianoffii - extinct?[verification needed] Paspalum blodgettii Paspalum boscianum Paspalum caespitosum Paspalum clavuliferum Paspalum conjugatum P.J.Bergius Paspalum convexum Paspalum decumbens Paspalum densum Paspalum dilatatum Paspalum dispar Paspalum distichum Paspalum fasciculatum Paspalum fimbriatum Paspalum floridanum Paspalum fluitans Paspalum longifolium Paspalum laeve Michx. – Smooth Paspalum Paspalum laxum Paspalum longifolium Paspalum longum Paspalum macrophyllum Paspalum maritimum Paspalum millegrana Paspalum minus

Paspalum molle Paspalum nicorae Paspalum notatum – Bahia Grass, Common Bahiagrass, Pensacola Bahiagrass Paspalum orbiculare G.Forst. Paspalum orbiculatum Poir. Paspalum paniculatum L. Paspalum parviflorum Paspalum paucispicatum Paspalum peckii Paspalum pleostachyum Paspalum plicatulum – Brownseed Paspalum Paspalum pulchellum Paspalum pubiflorum Paspalum quadrifarium – Tussock Paspalum Paspalum rugulosum Paspalum rupestre Paspalum scrobiculatum – Koda Millet, Kodo Millet, Kodra Millet, varuka (Sanskrit), varuku (Tamil) Paspalum secans Paspalum setaceum – Slender Paspalum Paspalum soboliferum Paspalum urvillei Paspalum vaginatum Sw. (= P. distichum, P. littorale) – Water Finger-grass Paspalum virgatum Paspalum wullschlaegelii

Formerly placed here

• Axonopus compressus (Broad-leaved Carpetgrass), as P. compressum, P. platycaule, P. platycaulon
• Axonopus fissifolius (Narrow-leaved Carpetgrass), as P. fissifolium
• Digitaria exilis (Fonio), as P. exile

See also

• Johannes Flüggé

Footnotes

1. ^ AWC (2008)

References

• Australian Weeds Committee (AWC) (2008): Noxious Weed List for Australian States and Territories. Version 18.00, September 2008. PDF fulltext

This Panicoideae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Paspalum Millets Poaceae genera Panicoideae stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу Morph (character) Amebix Look at other dictionaries: Paspălum — (P. L.), Pflanzengattung aus der Familie der Gramineae Paniceae, 3. Kl. 2. Ordn. L.; Arten zahlreich, sämmtlich von keinem besonderen Interesse …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon Paspălum — L., Gattung der Gräser, charakterisiert durch einblütige, meist stumpfliche Ährchen, zwei bis vierzeilige Trauben oder Ähren, welch letztere zu zwei bis vielen fingerig oder rispig, selten einzeln stehen, und knorpelig harte Deck und Vorspelzen.… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon Paspalum — Ver texto Paspalum es un género de plantas de la familia de las Poaceas, orden Poales, subclase Liliidae, clase Liliopsida, división Magnoliophyta. ● Paspalum alcalinum Mez ● Paspalum amphicarpum Ekman ● Paspalum amplum Nash ● Paspalum anceps Mez …   Enciclopedia Universal Paspalum —   Paspalum P. dilatatum …   Wikipedia Español paspalum — noun tall tufted perennial tropical American grass naturalized as pasture and forage grass in southern United States • Syn: ↑dallisgrass, ↑dallis grass, ↑Paspalum dilatatum • Hypernyms: ↑grass • Member Holonyms: ↑genus Paspalum …   Useful english dictionary Paspalum — ▪ plant genus  genus of annual and perennial grasses of the family Poaceae, containing about 400 species distributed throughout warm regions of the world. Some are valuable forage grasses. P. dilatatum, a South American species, is also grown in… …   Universalium paspalum — noun Any member of the genus Paspalum of tall perennial grasses, the bahiagrasses or Dallis grasses …   Wiktionary Paspalum — Pas·pa·lum (pasґpə ləm) a genus of grasses commonly eaten by livestock in Asia and Africa. Some species contain a toxic hydrocarbon that can cause paspalism; other species are sometimes contaminated with an ergot and cause paspalum… …   Medical dictionary paspalum — pas·pa·lum (pasґpə ləm) any grass of the genus Paspalum …   Medical dictionary Paspalum — spp. Paspalum (E); Cabezona (D). Many species serve as emergency food sources and as forage plants …   EthnoBotanical Dictionary 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”