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Taxon:  Paspalum vaginatum Sw.



Summary
Genus:
Paspalum
Family:
Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)
Subfamily:
Panicoideae
Tribe:
Paspaleae
Subtribe:
Paspalinae
Nomen number:
26933
Place of publication:
Prodr. 21. 1788
Verified:
05/30/1995 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
6 (4  active, 3  available) in Australian Pastures Genebank.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Paspalum gayanum E. Desv.
No images


Reference(s)
  1. Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. et al. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78:1-581. 1996
  2. Adams, C. Flowering plants of Jamaica. 1972
  3. Alderson, J. & W. C. Sharp. Grass varieties in the United States, U.S.D.A. Agric. Handb. 170, rev. ed. 1995
  4. Allan, H. H. B. et al. Flora of New Zealand. 1961-
  5. Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45. 1993
  6. Catasús Guerra, L. J. 2002. Las gramíneas (Poaceae) de Cuba, II. Cavanillesia Altera 3:1-163.
  7. Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. Flora of the Bahama archipelago. 1982
  8. Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. 1980-
  9. Davidse, G. et al., eds. Flora mesoamericana. 1994
  10. Englert, J. M. et al. 1999. USDA-NRCS Improved conservation plant materials released by NRCS and cooperators. 1999-
  11. Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
  12. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. Flora zambesiaca. 1960-
  13. Figueiredo, E. & G. F. Smith. Plants of Angola. Strelitzia 22: 1-279. 2008
  14. FNA Editorial Committee. Flora of North America. 1993-
  15. Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
  16. George, A. S., ed. Flora of Australia. 1980-
  17. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14. 2003
  18. Ghazanfar, S. A. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2. 1992
  19. Gould, F. W. & R. Moran. The grasses of Baja California, Mexico. 1981
  20. Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm.
  21. Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17. 1993
  22. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. Flora of Ethiopia. 1989- (and Eritrea. 2000)
  23. Howard, R. Flora of the lesser Antilles. 1974-1989
  24. Hubbard, C. E. & R. E. Vaughan. The grasses of Mauritius and Rodriguez. 1940
  25. Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
  26. Kahn, F. et al. Las plantas vasculares en las aguas continentales del Peru. IFEA, Lima, Peru. 1993
  27. Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2. 1953-1972
  28. Kenna, M. P. 2000. The United States Golf Association: a leader in the science of turf for 80 years. Diversity 16:11-14.
  29. Koning, R. de & M. S. M. Sosef. 1985. The Malesian species of Paspalum L. (Gramineae). Blumea 30:309-311.
  30. Koyama, T. Grasses of Japan and its neighboring regions. 1987
  31. Lazarides, M. The tropical grasses of Southeast Asia. 1980
  32. León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). Flora de Cuba. 1946-1962; suppl. 1969
  33. Liogier, H. A. & L. F. Martorell. Flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands: a systematic synopsis, ed. 2. 2000
  34. McVaugh, R. Flora Novo-Galiciana. 1983-
  35. Office de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique Outre-mer. Graminees des paturages et des cultures a Madagascar. 1969
  36. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  37. Proctor, G. R. Flora of the Cayman Islands. Kew Bulletin Additional Series XI. 1984
  38. Robyns, W. et al., eds. Flore du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi. 1948-63
  39. Smith, A. C. Flora vitiensis nova. 1979-1991
  40. Thulin, M., ed. Flora of Somalia. 1993-
  41. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. Flora of tropical East Africa. 1952-
  42. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. Flora europaea. 1964-1980
  43. Veldkamp, J. F. 1997. pers. comm.
  44. Wagner, W. L. et al. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawai'i. 1990
  45. Wood, J. R. I. A handbook of the flora of Yemen. 1997
  46. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. Flora of China (English edition). 1994-
  47. Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:520-521.
  48. Zuloaga, F. O. et al. Catalogo de la familia Poaceae en la Republica Argentina. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 47. 1994
Common names
English
biscuit grass –
saltwater couch –
seashore paspalum –
silt grass –
Portuguese (Brazil)
capim-paturá –
grama-rasteira –
Spanish
grama de costa –
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNote
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaKenya  
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaTanzania  
1NativeAfricaMacaronesiaCape Verde  
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaSomalia  
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaAngola  
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMozambique  
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaNamibia  
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaEastern Cape 
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaKwaZulu-Natal 
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaWestern Cape 
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaBenin  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaCote D'Ivoire  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGambia  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGhana  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaNigeria  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSenegal  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSierra Leone  
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCameroon  
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaEquatorial GuineaBioko 
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaZaire  
1NativeAfricaWestern Indian OceanMadagascar  
1NativeAfricaWestern Indian OceanMauritius  
1NativeAfricaWestern Indian OceanReunion  
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaOman  
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaYemen  
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaHainan 
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaYunnan 
1NativeAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaJapanRyukyu Islands 
1NativeAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaTaiwan  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentSri Lanka  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaCambodia  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaLaos  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaMyanmar  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaThailand  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaVietnam  
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaIndonesia  
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaMalaysia  
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaPapua New Guinea  
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaPhilippines  
1NativeAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaNew South Wales 
1NativeAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaNorthern Territory 
1NativeAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaQueensland 
1NativeAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaSouth Australia 
1NativeAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaVictoria 
1NativeAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaWestern Australia 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoBaja Sur 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoSan Luis Potosi 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoTamaulipas 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouth-Central U.S.A.United StatesNew Mexico 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouth-Central U.S.A.United StatesTexas 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesAlabama 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesFlorida 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesGeorgia 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesLouisiana 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesMississippi 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesNorth Carolina 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesSouth Carolina 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoCampeche 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoColima 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoJalisco 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoPuebla 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoQuintana Roo 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoTabasco 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoVeracruz 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoYucatan 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilAlagoas 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilBahia 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilCeara 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilEspirito Santo 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilMato Grosso do Sul 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilPara 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilParaiba 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilParana 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilPernambuco 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilRio de Janeiro 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilRio Grande do Norte 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilRio Grande do Sul 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilSanta Catarina 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilSao Paulo 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilSergipe 
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanAntigua and BarbudaAntigua 
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanBahamas  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanBarbados  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanCayman Islands  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanCuba  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanGuadeloupe  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanHispaniola  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanMartinique  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanPuerto Rico  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanSt. Lucia  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanSt. Vincent and GrenadinesSt. Vincent 
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanTrinidad and Tobago  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanVirgin Islands (British)  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanVirgin Islands (U.S.)St. John 
1NativeSouthern AmericaMesoamericaBelize  
1NativeSouthern AmericaMesoamericaCosta Rica  
1NativeSouthern AmericaMesoamericaEl Salvador  
1NativeSouthern AmericaMesoamericaGuatemala  
1NativeSouthern AmericaMesoamericaHonduras  
1NativeSouthern AmericaMesoamericaNicaragua  
1NativeSouthern AmericaMesoamericaPanama  
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaFrench Guiana  
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaGuyana  
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaVenezuela  
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentina  
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaChile  
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaParaguay  
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaUruguay  
1NativeSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaBolivia  
1NativeSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaColombia  
1NativeSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaEcuador  
1NativeSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaPeru  
4NaturalizedAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalAzores 
4NaturalizedAfricaNorthern AfricaAlgeria  
4NaturalizedAfricaNorthern AfricaMorocco  
4NaturalizedAfricaNorthern AfricaTunisia  
4NaturalizedAustralasiaNew ZealandNew Zealand  
4NaturalizedEuropeSoutheastern EuropeItalySardinia 
4NaturalizedEuropeSoutheastern EuropeItalySicily 
4NaturalizedEuropeSouthwestern EuropeFrance  
4NaturalizedEuropeSouthwestern EuropePortugal  
4NaturalizedEuropeSouthwestern EuropeSpain  
4NaturalizedPacificNorth-Central PacificUnited StatesHawaii 
4NaturalizedPacificSouthwestern PacificFiji  
Native
Africa
  • EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania
  • MACARONESIA: Cape Verde
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Somalia
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Mozambique
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: Namibia, South Africa [Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape]
  • WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Benin, Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana, Gambia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea [Bioko], Zaire
  • WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion
Asia-Temperate
  • ARABIAN PENINSULA: Oman, Yemen
  • CHINA: China [Hainan, Yunnan]
  • EASTERN ASIA: Japan [Ryukyu Islands], Taiwan
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Sri Lanka
  • INDO-CHINA: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
  • MALESIA: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia [New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia]
Northern America
  • NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Baja Sur, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas]
  • SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [New Mexico, Texas]
  • SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina]
  • SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Campeche, Colima, Jalisco, Puebla, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz, Yucatan]
Southern America
  • BRAZIL: Brazil [Alagoas, Bahia, Ceara, Espirito Santo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Para, Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe]
  • CARIBBEAN: Hispaniola, Antigua and Barbuda [Antigua], Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Vincent and Grenadines [St. Vincent], Virgin Islands (British), Virgin Islands (U.S.) [St. John]
  • MESOAMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
  • NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: French Guiana, Guyana, Venezuela
  • SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay
  • WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Naturalized
Africa
  • MACARONESIA: Portugal [Azores]
  • NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia
Australasia
  • NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand
Europe
  • SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Italy [Sardinia, Sicily]
  • SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain, France, Portugal
Pacific
  • NORTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: United States [Hawaii]
  • SOUTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Fiji
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Environmentalerosion control Alderson, J. & W. C. Sharp. Grass varieties in the United States, U.S.D.A. Agric. Handb. 170, rev. ed. 1995
Environmentalpotential as lawn/turf Kenna, M. P. 2000. The United States Golf Association: a leader in the science of turf for 80 years. Diversity 16:11-14.
Environmentalrevegetator Alderson, J. & W. C. Sharp. Grass varieties in the United States, U.S.D.A. Agric. Handb. 170, rev. ed. 1995
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2025. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://apg.pir.sa.gov.au/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=26933. Accessed 19 July 2025.


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