Paspalum - Paspalum fluitans
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Water paspalum is an annual, aquatic or subaquatic, with sprawling, often
elongate, spongy stems. If growing in water, plants are mostly submersed
with only the inflorescences emersed. When in water, large numbers of
dark roots grow from the nodes; when in wet soils, the stems are often
bent with roots from the nodes. Leaf sheaths are loose, often inflated-spongy,
pubescent, often purple spotted. The leaf blades are lanceolate, up to
2.5 dm long and 2.5 cm wide, both leaf surfaces rough striate. The ligule
is a membranous scale, 1 to 3 mm long. The inflorescence has 20 to 50
spikelet bearing branches arranged like a bottle brush and at right angles
to the main stem axis. Spikelets are flat on one side, convex on the other,
short stalked, solitary and alternating on either side of the inflorescence
axis; thus, in 2 rows along the axis.
Paspalum fluitans grows in mud or in shallow water along the
margins of sluggish streams, ditches, swamps, ponds, and lakes. Colonies
grow outward from the shore and form mats that may break loose and form
floating islands (Bodle 1986). Reproduction is by seed or from remnants
of mats that die back during the fall and regrow during the late spring
or early summer months (Tarver et al. 1986, Hoyer et al. 1996).
Plants may form thick mats which restrict water flow and impair navigational
and recreational use in some instances (Tarver et al. 1986, Hoyer et al.
Links to more information
Website, video, and graphics by Rob Nelson
For more information on this plant or management please contact US Army Corp of Engineers
Water Pasplum Video
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