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Paspalum distichum

KNOT GRASS


Higher Taxonomy
Family: Poaceae (Gramineae)View DescriptionDichotomous Key
Common Name: GRASS FAMILY
Habit: Annual to woody perennial herb; roots generally fibrous. Stem: generally round, hollow; nodes swollen, solid. Leaf: alternate, 2-ranked, generally linear, parallel-veined; sheath generally open; ligule membranous or hairy, at blade base. Inflorescence: various (of generally many spikelets). Spikelet: glumes generally 2; florets (lemma, palea, flower) 1--many; lemma generally membranous, sometimes glume-like; palea generally +- transparent, +- enclosed by lemma. Flower: generally bisexual, minute; perianth vestigial; stamens generally 3; stigmas generally 2, generally plumose. Fruit: grain, sometimes achene- or utricle-like.
Genera In Family: 650--900 genera; +- 10550 species: worldwide; greatest economic importance of any family (wheat, rice, maize, millet, sorghum, sugar cane, forage crops, ornamental, weeds; thatching, weaving, building materials). Note: Generally wind-pollinated. Achnatherum, Ampelodesmos, Hesperostipa, Nassella, Piptatherum, Piptochaetium, Ptilagrostis moved to Stipa; Elytrigia, Leymus, Pascopyrum, Pseudoroegneria, Taeniatherum to Elymus; Hierochloe to Anthoxanthum; Lolium, Vulpia to Festuca; Lycurus to Muhlenbergia; Monanthochloe to Distichlis; Pleuraphis to Hilaria; Rhynchelytrum to Melinis. The following taxa (in genera not included here), recorded in California from historical collections or reported in literature, are extirpated, lacking vouchers, or not considered naturalized: Acrachne racemosa (Roth) Ohwi, Allolepis texana (Vasey) Soderstr. & H.F. Decker, Amphibromus nervosus (Hook. f.) Baill., Axonopus affinis Chase, Axonopus fissifolius (Raddi) Kuhlm., Coix lacryma-jobi L., Cutandia memphitica (Spreng.) K. Richt., Dinebra retroflexa (Vahl) Panz., Eremochloa ciliaris (L.) Merr., Eustachys distichophylla (Lag.) Nees, Gaudinia fragilis (L.) P. Beauv., Miscanthus sinensis Andersson, Neyraudia arundinacea (L.) Henrard, Phyllostachys aurea Rivière & C. Rivière, Phyllostachys bambusoides Siebold & Zuccarini, Rottboellia cochinchinensis (Lour.) Clayton, Schedonnardus paniculatus (Nutt.) Branner & Coville, Schizachyrium cirratum (Hack.) Wooton & Standl., Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash, Themeda quadrivalvis (L.) Kuntze, Thysanolaena latifolia (Hornem.) Honda, Tribolium obliterum (Hemsl.) Renvoize, Zea mays L., Zizania palustris L. var. interior (Fassett) Dore, Zoysia japonica Steud. Paspalum pubiflorum E. Fourn., Paspalum quadrifarium Lam., are now reported for southern California (J Bot Res Inst Texas 4:761--770). See Glossary p. 30 for illustrations of general family characteristics.
eFlora Treatment Author: James P. Smith, Jr., except as noted
Scientific Editor: James P. Smith, Jr., J. Travis Columbus, Dieter H. Wilken.
Genus: PaspalumView DescriptionDichotomous Key


Habit: Perennial herb (in California), tufted, rhizomatous, or stoloniferous. Stem: decumbent to erect; internode solid to hollow. Leaf: basal and cauline; sheath glabrous or hairy; ligule membranous. Inflorescence: racemes 1 to many, branches digitate or raceme-like, spreading to erect. Spikelet: 2-flowered (lower floret sterile, upper floret fertile), dorsally compressed, falling as one unit, fertile lemma convex, positioned adaxially, subsessile to short-pedicelled, 1 or 2, in 2 rows along 1 side of rachis; lower glume 0, rarely present and then not on every spikelet in a raceme; upper glume and sterile lemma membranous, subequal, tip rounded, sterile palea 0 or rudimentary; fertile lemma and palea hardened, smooth, straw-colored; fertile lemma margins scarious, inrolled, clasping palea. Fruit: white, yellow, or brown, round to elliptical, planoconvex or flattened.
Etymology: (Greek: ancient name for a kind of millet) Note: Paspalum notatum Flüggé not naturalized in California.
Unabridged Note: Paspalum boscianum collected 1934 as agricultural weed in rice field.
eFlora Treatment Author: Charles Allen
Reference: Allen & Hall 2003 FNANM 25:566--599
Unabridged Reference: Riefner & Columbus J Bot Res Inst Texas 2:743--759
Paspalum distichum L.
NATIVE
Habit: Creeping or cespitose. Stem: 5--63 cm, erect; nodes glabrous. Leaf: sheath glabrous, sparsely long pubescent at tip; ligule 1--2 mm; blade < 14 cm, 1.8--11.5 mm wide, flat or folded, glabrous to pubescent, tip inrolled. Inflorescence: racemes 2--3, 1.4--7 cm, terminal, digitate, ascending, often arched; axis 1.2--2.2 mm wide, winged, glabrous, margins scabrous. Spikelet: 1 (rarely paired), appressed to axis, 2.4--3.2 mm, 1.1--1.6 mm wide, elliptic, straw-colored, sometimes partially purple, pubescent; lower glume 0, rarely present, < 1 mm, triangular; upper glume and sterile lemma 3-veined, margins glabrous; fertile floret straw-colored. Fruit: 1.9--2.1 mm, yellow. Chromosomes: 2n=20,30,40,48,60.
Ecology: Edges of lakes, ponds, rice fields, wet roadside ditches; Elevation: < 1770 m. Bioregional Distribution: CA-FP (exc mtns), GB, n DMoj; Distribution Outside California: to Washington, eastern United States, South America; warm areas worldwide. Flowering Time: Jun--Oct
Synonyms: Paspalum distichum var. indutum Shinners; Paspalum paspalodes (Michx.) Scribn.
Jepson eFlora Author: Charles Allen
Reference: Allen & Hall 2003 FNANM 25:566--599
Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)

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Botanical illustration including Paspalum distichumbotanical illustration including Paspalum distichum


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Citation for this treatment: Charles Allen 2012, Paspalum distichum, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=36387, accessed on December 02, 2024.

Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024, Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/, accessed on December 02, 2024.

Paspalum distichum
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©2022 Neal Kramer
Paspalum distichum
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©2016 Neal Kramer
Paspalum distichum
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©2011 Steve Matson
Paspalum distichum
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©2016 Neal Kramer
Paspalum distichum
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©2011 Steve Matson

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Geographic subdivisions for Paspalum distichum:
CA-FP (exc mtns), GB, n DMoj
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map of distribution 1

(Note: any qualifiers in the taxon distribution description, such as 'northern', 'southern', 'adjacent' etc., are not reflected in the map above, and in some cases indication of a taxon in a subdivision is based on a single collection or author-verified occurrence).






 

Data provided by the participants of the  Consortium of California Herbaria.

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CCH collections by month Flowering-Fruiting Monthly Counts

Duplicates counted once; synonyms included.
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