Description :

• Perennial, of varying habit
• Leaf blade long-linear, expanded, rarely folded or with inrolled margins; ligule an unfringed membrane
• Inflorescence of spike-like, 1-sided racemes, digitate to subdigitate or scattered up central axis, rarely solitary; rachis flat dorsally, with a raised midrib on front, bearing spikelets alternately on either side of midrib in 2 or 4 rows; spikelets solitary or paired, subsessile or unequally pedicelled; lower glume abaxial and upper lemma facing rachis
• Spikelet strongly plano-convex, orbicular to oblong to lanceolate, dorsiventrally compressed, disarticulating with glumes; glumes unequal, dissimilar, awnless; lower glume 0 or scale-like, rarely up to half the spikelet length; upper glume as long as spikelet, convex dorsally, 3-5-nerved, nerves curved, membranous
• Florets 2; lower floret sterile, reduced to a lemma; lemma equal and similar to upper glume but flat on back, awnless; upper floret bisexual; lemma similar in texture to, to firmer than glumes, chartaceous to crustaceous, smooth to rugose, obtuse, entire, faintly nerved, glabrous, sometimes minutely punctiform, margins narrow and inrolled, clasping only edges of palea, awnless; palea subequal to and similar in texture to lemma, obtuse or acute
• Lodicules 2, broadly cuneate
• Stamens 3
• Ovary glabrous; styles distinct or united at base, plumose
• Caryopsis plano-convex
• x = 10, 12 (high polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• Paspalum L.
  • Linnaeus: 855 (1759)
  • Stapf: 369 (1898)
  • Stent: 258 (1924)
  • Chippindall: 386 (1955)
  • Clayton & Renvoize: 607 (1982)
  • Clayton & Renvoize: 287 (1986)
  • Clayton: 88 (1989)
  • Gibbs Russell et al.: 245 (1990)
  • Watson & Dallwitz: 701 (1994)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global : Species ± 330, tropics, predominately New World
• Southern Africa : Species 6, widespread