''Paspalum'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of plants in the

grass family Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in ...

. The group is widespread across much of

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

. Commonly known as paspalum, bahiagrasses, crowngrasses or dallis grasses, many of the species are tall

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

grasses. They are warm-season C₄ grasses and are most diverse in

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

and

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

regions. ''

Paspalum scrobiculatum ''Paspalum scrobiculatum'', commonly called kodo millet or koda millet,A. E. Grant (1898), "Poisonous Koda millet". Letter to ''Nature'', volume 57, page 271.Harry Nelson Vinall(1917), ''Foxtail Millet: Its Culture and Utilization in the United S ...

'' (''koda'', ''varuka'', ''varuku'', etc.) is a

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae. Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...

locally grown as food

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached husk, hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and ...

. Some

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

, such as

bahiagrass ''Paspalum notatum'', known commonly as bahiagrass, common bahia, and Pensacola bahia, is a tropical to subtropical perennial grass (family Poaceae). It is known for its prominent V-shaped inflorescence consisting of two spike-like racemes contai ...

(''P. notatum'') and '' P. nicorae'', are grown for pasturage, especially with the perennial forage peanut (''Arachis glabrata'') as a companion crop. Bahiagrass has also some significance as a

honey plant Honeybees often collect nectar, pollen, or both from the following species of plants, which are called honey plants, for making honey. This is not an exhaustive list of the flowering plant species Honeybees will visit. Acanthace ...

. Water finger-grass (''P. vaginatum'') resembles

bermudagrass ''Cynodon dactylon'', commonly known as Bermuda grass, also known as couch grass in Australia and New Zealand, is a grass found worldwide. It is native to Europe, Africa, Australia and much of Asia. It has been introduced to the Americas. Contra ...

(''Cynodon dactylon''), but has a higher

salinity Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt (chemistry), salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensio ...

tolerance and can consume

greywater Greywater (or grey water, sullage, also spelled gray water in the United States) refers to domestic wastewater generated in households or office buildings from streams without fecal contamination, i.e., all streams except for the wastewater fro ...

. It is not infrequently used for

arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

and

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

turf in warmer coastal regions, such as

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. Dedicated paspalum

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s such as 'Aloha Seashore' or 'Platinum TE' have been produced for such uses. Paspalums are also food for

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

s of

lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

ns such as the pasture day moth (''Apina callisto''), and those of the dark palm dart (''Telicota ancilla'') which feed on '' P. urvillei''.

Granivorous Seed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of plants as a main or exclusive food source,Hulme, P.E. and Benkman, C.W. (2002) "Granivory", pp. 13 ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s often eat paspalum seeds; the chestnut-breasted munia (''Lonchura castaneothorax'') readily feeds on the seeds of '' P. longifolium'', for example. The

ergot Ergot ( ) or ergot fungi refers to a group of fungi of the genus ''Claviceps''. The most prominent member of this group is '' Claviceps purpurea'' ("rye ergot fungus"). This fungus grows on rye and related plants, and produces alkaloids that c ...

Claviceps paspali ''Claviceps paspali'' is a fungus of the genus ''Claviceps'' (ergot) and family ''Clavicipitaceae''. Along with the better-known ''Claviceps purpurea'', it is one of the ''Claviceps'' species that has the capacity to produce psychedelic lysergami ...

'' is a

sac fungus Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The def ...

that grows on ''Paspalum'', producing

ergot alkaloids Ergot ( ) or ergot fungi refers to a group of fungus, fungi of the genus ''Claviceps''. The most prominent member of this group is ''Claviceps purpurea'' ("rye ergot fungus"). This fungus grows on rye and related plants, and produces alkaloids ...

and the tremorgen paspalitrem; it causes "paspalum staggers" poisoning in

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

. Tussock paspalum (''P. quadrifarium'') is considered a noxious weed in Australia. The term “paspalum” without qualification in Australia refers to the common lawn weed '' P. dilatatum.'' Australia has five native and approximately sixteen naturalised species.

Daikin Park Daikin Park (originally Enron Field and formerly Astros Field and Minute Maid Park) is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 and is the home ballpark of the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). ...

, the home

ballpark A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into two field sections called the infield and the outfield. The infield is an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined in part ba ...

of the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

, has Platinum TE Paspalum as its field surface.

Selected species

* '' Paspalum azuayense'' * '' Paspalum arundinaceum'' * '' Paspalum bakeri'' * '' Paspalum batianoffii'' * '' Paspalum blodgettii'' * ''

Paspalum boscianum ''Paspalum'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. The group is widespread across much of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Commonly known as paspalum, bahiagrasses, crowngrasses or dallis grasses, many of the species are tall per ...

'' * '' Paspalum caespitosum'' * '' Paspalum ceresia'' * ''

Paspalum clavuliferum ''Paspalum'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. The group is widespread across much of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Commonly known as paspalum, bahiagrasses, crowngrasses or dallis grasses, many of the species are tall pere ...

'' * ''

Paspalum conjugatum ''Paspalum conjugatum'', commonly known as carabao grass or hilo grass, is a tropical to subtropical perennial grass. It is originally from the American tropics, but has been naturalized widely in tropical Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands. It h ...

'' P.J.Bergius – carabao grass, hilo grass * '' Paspalum convexum'' * '' Paspalum decumbens'' * '' Paspalum densum'' * '' Paspalum dilatatum'' – dallis grass * '' Paspalum dispar'' * ''

Paspalum distichum ''Paspalum distichum'' is a species of Poaceae, grass. Common names include knotgrass, water finger-grass, couch paspalum, eternity grass, gingergrass, and Thompson grass. Its native range is obscure because it has long been present on most conti ...

'' * '' Paspalum fasciculatum'' * '' Paspalum fimbriatum'' * '' Paspalum floridanum'' * '' Paspalum fluitans'' * '' Paspalum geminatum'' * '' Paspalum longifolium'' * '' Paspalum laeve'' Michx. – smooth paspalum * ''

Paspalum laxum ''Paspalum'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. The group is widespread across much of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Commonly known as paspalum, bahiagrasses, crowngrasses or dallis grasses, many of the species are tall pere ...

'' * '' Paspalum longifolium'' * '' Paspalum longum'' * '' Paspalum macrophyllum'' * '' Paspalum mandiocanum '' * ''

Paspalum maritimum ''Paspalum'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. The group is widespread across much of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Commonly known as paspalum, bahiagrasses, crowngrasses or dallis grasses, many of the species are tall pere ...

'' * '' Paspalum millegrana'' * '' Paspalum minus'' * '' Paspalum molle'' * ''

Paspalum nicorae ''Paspalum'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. The group is widespread across much of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Commonly known as paspalum, bahiagrasses, crowngrasses or dallis grasses, many of the species are tall per ...

'' * ''

Paspalum notatum ''Paspalum notatum'', known commonly as bahiagrass, common bahia, and Pensacola bahia, is a tropical to subtropical perennial grass (family Poaceae). It is known for its prominent V-shaped inflorescence consisting of two spike-like racemes contai ...

'' – 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 repens ''Paspalum repens'', known as horsetail paspalum or water paspalum, is a species of grass native to South America, Central America, and North America. It is often called ''Paspalum fluitans'', though this name is treated as a synonym of ''P. repe ...

'' * '' Paspalum rugulosum'' * '' Paspalum rupestre'' * '' Paspalum schesslii'' * ''

'' – koda millet, kodo millet, kodra millet, ''varuka'' (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

), ''varuku'' (

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

) * '' Paspalum secans'' * '' Paspalum setaceum'' – slender paspalum * '' Paspalum soboliferum'' * ''

Paspalum urvillei ''Paspalum urvillei'' is a species of grass known by the common name Vasey's grass, or Vasey grass. It is native to South America, and it is known in parts of North America as an introduced species. It is also naturalised in Australia, New Zealan ...

'' * ''

Paspalum vaginatum ''Paspalum vaginatum'' is a species of grass known by many names, including seashore paspalum, biscuit grass, saltwater couch, silt grass, and swamp couch.Paspalum virgatum'' * ''

Paspalum wullschlaegelii ''Paspalum'' is a genus of plants in the Poaceae, grass family. The group is widespread across much of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Commonly known as paspalum, bahiagrasses, crowngrasses or dallis grasses, many of the species are ...

Formerly placed here

* ''

Axonopus compressus ''Axonopus compressus'' is a species of grass. It is often used as a permanent pasture, groundcover, and turf in moist, low fertility soils, particularly in shaded situations. It is generally too low-growing to be useful in cut-and-carry systems ...

'' (broad-leaved carpetgrass), as ''P. compressum'', ''P. platycaule'', ''P. platycaulon'' * ''

Axonopus fissifolius ''Axonopus fissifolius'' is a Poaceae, grass species which is often used as permanent pasture. Common names include common carpetgrass, caratao grass, and Louisiana grass in the United States, and mat grass, narrow-leaved carpet grass, and Durri ...

'' (narrow-leaved carpetgrass), as ''P. fissifolium'' * ''

Digitaria exilis ''Digitaria exilis'', referred to as findi or fundi in areas of Africa, such as The Gambia, with English common names white fonio, fonio millet, and hungry rice or acha rice, is a grass species. It is the most important of a diverse group of wil ...

'' (fonio), as ''P. exile''

Notes

References

* (2008): Noxious Weed List for Australian States and Territories. Version 18.00, September 2008
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{{Authority control Poaceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus