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The morphology of P. distichum has been described in detail by Chase (1929). It is a widely creeping perennial with slender rhizomes, extensively stoloniferous, often forming loose mats. The stolons are usually slender, subcompressed, sometimes as much as one metre long. On average, the sheaths are less loose than in Paspalum vaginatum, the blades are usually well developed;the branches are erect or ascending, most of them finally flowering, 6-50 cm tall, often sparingly branching. The culms are subcompressed, the nodes dark, often with a few ascending hairs;the sheaths are loose, keeled, and commonly pilose on the margins toward the summit. The ligule is membranaceous, about 0.5 mm long;the blades are flat, ascending, 3-12 cm long, and 2-6 mm wide at the rounded, ciliate base, tapering to an acuminate, sometimes involute apex;they are dull green, relatively soft in texture, and occasionally minutely pubescent on the upper surface. The peduncles are commonly short, often included;there are usually two racemes, rarely as many as four, from erect to reflexed, commonly incurved, 1.5-7 cm long, rarely longer. The rachis is slightly pedunculate in one, sometimes both racemes, usually with a few white hairs in the axil, 1-1.5 mm, rarely 2 mm wide, triangular, and minutely scabrous on the margin. The spikelets are solitary (rarely in pairs in the middle of the raceme), imbricate, 2.5-3 mm wide (size variation is sometimes found in the same plant), elliptic, abruptly acute, and pale green. The first glume is frequently developed;the second glume and sterile lemma are equal, with three to five veins, the midrib is relatively prominent. The glume is minutely appressed-pubescent, sometimes obscurely so. The fruit is 2.5-2.8 mm long, about 1.2 mm wide, and elliptic. Pollen morphology has been described by Ma GuoHua et al. (2001).

Related invasive species

  • Paspalum distichum

Related Farm Practice

  • Development
Impact

P. distichum is a fast-growing rhizomatous grass of wet areas. It has become a major weed of rice and many other crops, as well as occurring in uncropped wetlands in both its native and introduced regions. Its introduction to Europe, Asia and the Pacific is not well documented but apparently occurred many years ago. New records are reported in e.g. Indonesia, Spain and Croatia, suggesting that it continues to spread in countries to which it has been introduced.

Has Cabi datasheet ID
38952
Oss tagged
x

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