Paspalum propinquum Nash

• Authority

  Bulletin of the New York Botanical Garden.

• Family

  Poaceae

• Scientific Name

  Paspalum propinquum Nash

• Description

  Species Description - Culms tufted, 8-10 dm. tall, smooth and glabrous: leaves on the culm 2 or 3, scattered; sheaths loosely embracing the culm, the basal ones pubescent with short hairs, the remaining ones smooth and glabrous, the upper one much elongated and enclosing 1 or 2 concealed or more or less exserted raceme-bearing branches; ligule a brown scarious ring about 1 mm. wide; blades smooth and glabrous on both surfaces, ciliate on the margins with stiff hairs, the hairs arising from papillae, linear, erect or nearly so, 0.5-2 dm. long, 5—10 mm. wide, the midnerve light-colored: racemes rather slender, straight or curved, 8-12 cm. long, 1 or 2 on the long-exserted culm, the branches bearing a single raceme, the rachis about 0.8 mm. wide; spikelets in pairs, on shorter pubescent pedicels, oval, about 1.8 mm. long and 1.5 mm. wide, obtusely apiculate at the apex; outer 2 scales membranous, strongly pubescent with short spreading glandular tipped hairs, the first scale 3-nerved, the second usually 2-nerved by the suppression of the midnerve which is very rarely present; flowering scale coriaceous, triangular in cross-section, the angles much rounded; palet of similar texture.

• Discussion

  Collected by the writer in sandy soil at Eustis, Lake county, Florida, on July 25, 1894, no. 1427. It is closely related to P. ciUatifolium, but can be distinguished by the smaller densely pubescent spikelets with their obtuse apiculation.