Paspalum dilatatum Poir.
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Paspalum dilatatum Poir.
Poaceae (Grass Family)South AmericaDallis Grass |
June Photo
Plant Characteristics:
Perennial from short rhizomes; culms stout, 5-15 dm. tall, growing in
clumps, glabrous throughout except the spikelets; sheaths 6-30 cm., glabrous to
hairy; ligule 2-8 mm.; lvs. 9-35 cm. long, 5-10 mm. wide, elongate; racemes
4-10, densely fld., 5-10 cm. long, somewhat spreading; spikelets in pairs, one
fld., ovate, green to purple, 3-3.5 mm. long; glume and sterile lemma
long-ciliate; the back of the fertile lemma toward the rachis; 1st glume mostly
lacking; 2d glume and sterile lemma subequal; lemma and palea chartaceously
indurate, with inrolled margins.
Habitat:
Roadsides, ditches and waste places, at low elevs., cismontane and to
desert edge as at Victorville; Santa Catalina Id.; to Ore., Atlantic Coast.
May-Nov.
Name:
Greek, paspalos, a kind of millet.
(Munz, Flora So. Calif. 987).
Latin, dilatatus, spread out.
(Jaeger 81). The species
name is possibly due to the spreading racemes.
General:
Occasional in the study area. Photographed
on the Santa Ana Heights Flats. (my
comments). Several
species inhabiting meadows and savannas furnish considerable forage.
P. dilatatum is valuable for pasture, especially for dairy cattle
in the Southern States, where it has been cultivated under the name water grass
and recently Dallis grass. In the
Hawaiian Islands, Australia, and some other countries, where it is called
paspalum grass, it is valuable as a pasture grass.
(Hitchcock 599).
Paspalum species have been known to cause hay fever and asthma.
(Fuller 383). The spikelets may become infected by
an ergot fungus and become poisonous to cattle. (Pohl
165). About 400 species of warmer
regions. (Munz, Flora So. Calif.
986).
Text Ref:
Hickman, Ed. 1280; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 988; Robbins et
al. 93.
Photo Ref:
May 3 84 # 18,20; June 1 84 # 8.
Identity: by R. De Ruff.
First Found: May 1984.
Computer Ref: Plant Data 54.
Have plant specimen.
Last edit 12/29/03.
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June Photo