Paspalum

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 perennial New World grasses. They are warm-season C4 grasses and are most diverse in subtropical and tropical regions.
Paspalum scrobiculatum (koda, varuka, varuku, etc.) is a millet locally grown as food grain. Some species, such as bahiagrass (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.
Water finger-grass (P. vaginatum) resembles bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon), but has a higher salinity tolerance and can consume greywater. It is not infrequently used for arena and golf course turf in warmer coastal regions, such as Baja California, Florida, Peru, Texas and Venezuela. Dedicated paspalum cultivars such as 'Aloha Seashore' or 'Platinum TE' have been produced for such uses.
Paspalums are also food for caterpillars of lepidopterans such as the pasture day moth (Apina callisto), and those of the dark palm dart (Telicota ancilla) which feed on P. urvillei. Granivorous birds often eat paspalum seeds; the chestnut-breasted munia (Lonchura castaneothorax) readily feeds on the seeds of P. longifolium, for example.
The ergot Claviceps paspali is a sac fungus that grows on Paspalum, producing ergot alkaloids and the tremorgen paspalitrem; it causes "paspalum staggers" poisoning in cattle.
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.
Minute Maid Park the home ballpark of the Houston Astros has Platinum TE Paspalum as its field surface.
Selected species
Paspalum azuayense
Paspalum arundinaceum
Paspalum bakeri
Paspalum batianoffii
Paspalum blodgettii
Paspalum boscianum
Paspalum caespitosum
Paspalum ceresia
Paspalum clavuliferum
Paspalum conjugatum P.J.Bergius – carabao grass, hilo grass
Paspalum convexum
Paspalum decumbens
Paspalum densum
Paspalum dilatatum – dallis grass
Paspalum dispar
Paspalum distichum
Paspalum fasciculatum
Paspalum fimbriatum
Paspalum floridanum
Paspalum fluitans
Paspalum geminatum
Paspalum longifolium
Paspalum laeve Michx. – smooth paspalum
Paspalum laxum
Paspalum longifolium
Paspalum longum
Paspalum macrophyllum
Paspalum mandiocanum
Paspalum maritimum
Paspalum millegrana
Paspalum minus
Paspalum molle
Paspalum nicorae
Paspalum notatum – 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 rugulosum
Paspalum rupestre
Paspalum schesslii
Paspalum scrobiculatum – koda millet, kodo millet, kodra millet, varuka (Sanskrit), varuku (Tamil)
Paspalum secans
Paspalum setaceum – slender paspalum
Paspalum soboliferum
Paspalum urvillei
Paspalum vaginatum Sw. (syn. P. distichum, P. littorale) – water finger-grass
Paspalum virgatum
Paspalum wullschlaegelii
Formerly placed here
Axonopus compressus (broad-leaved carpetgrass), as P. compressum, P. platycaule, P. platycaulon
Axonopus fissifolius (narrow-leaved carpetgrass), as P. fissifolium
Digitaria exilis (fonio), as P. exile
Notes
References
(2008): Noxious Weed List for Australian States and Territories. Version 18.00, September 2008. PDF fulltext
Poaceae genera
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus