Paspalum L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. 2: 855. 1759; Blatter & McCann, Bombay Grasses 136. 1935; Bor, Grasses Burma, Ceyl. Ind. Pak. 334. 1960; Sharma & Khosla, Grasses Punj. and Chandigarh 152. 1989; Chen & Phillips, Fl. China @ eFloras.org 22: 526; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 210.

Annuals or perennials. Culms tufted or with creeping rhizomes and stolons. Leaf blades linear or narrowly lanceolate, flat; ligule short, membranous. Inflorescence composed of racemes, racemes single, pared or more, arranged digitately or borne upon an elongated central axis. Spikelets generally solitary or paired, in 2 rows on one side of flattened, triquetrous narrowly or broadly winged rachis. Spikelets orbicular to oblong, mostly plano-convex. Glumes very unequal; lower generally suppressed, when present, then usually a small scale, abaxial in position (turned away from rachis); upper glume membranous, as long as the spikelet, rarely shorter or absent. Spikelets 2-flowered. Lower floret: Barren, its lemma (lower lemma) similar to upper glume; its palea absent. Upper floret: Bisexual. Its lemma (upper lemma) and palea (upper palea) coriaceous or crustaceous, rarely softer, margins inrolled, apex obtuse to apiculate. Stamens 3. Stigmas 2, plumose.

357 species

Paspalum distichum L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (2): 855. 1759; Bor, Grasses Burma, Ceyl. Ind. Pak. 338. 1960; Paspalum paspalodes (Michx.) Schribner, Mem. Torr. Bot. Club 5: 29. 1894 (as P. paspaloides); Sharma & Khosla, Grasses Punj. and Chandigarh 155. 1989; Sharma & Kachroo, Fl. Jammu (Illustr.) 2: t. 295. 1983; Dhaliwal & Sharma, Fl. Kullu Dist. 690. 1999; Kaur & Sharma, Fl. Sirmaur 682. t. 53. 2004; Singh & Sharma, Fl. Chamba Dist. 804. 2006; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 211; Digitaria paspalodes Michx., Fl. Bor. Amer. 1: 46. 1803.

Perennial, stoloniferous. Culms erect, ascending or creeping, forming mat, rooting below, up to 60 cm long. Nodes glabrous. Leaf blades 6-15 cm x 3-7 mm, linear-lanceolate, flat, acuminate, margin scabrid, glabrous; leaf sheaths ciliate at mouth; ligule short, membranous. Inflorescence of 2, subdigitate, ascending or divaricate racemes, 2-7 cm long, ciliate at base. Rachis triquetrous, narrowly winged. Spikelets solitary, shortly pedicelled, in 2 rows on one side (outer) of rachis, 3-3.5 mm long, elliptic-oblong, acute, imbricate and appressed to rachis, 2-flowered. Glumes unequal; lower glume rudimentary, small, subulate scale, abaxial (turned away from rachis) or absent; upper glume as long as the spikelet, ovate-oblong, herbaceous, appressed-puberulent, acute, 5-nerved, midnerve prominent. Lower floret: Barren. Its lemma (lower lemma) similar to upper glume, glabrous. Palea (lower palea) absent. Upper floret: Bisexual. Its lemma (upper lemma) slightly shorter than lower lemma, subcoriaceous, nearly elliptic, acuminate, faintly 3-nerved. Palea (upper palea) slightly shorter but similar to upper lemma. Lodicules 2. Stamens 3; anther 1.2-1.4 mm long; dehiscence through pores. Caryopsis plano-convex.

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