Nomenclature

Species name:

Paspalum dilatatum   Poiret

Author(s):

Jean Louis Marie Poiret
   France, 1755-1834

General names:

Golden Crown Grass
Paspalum
Dallis Grass

Maltese name:

Paspalum

Plant Family:

Poaceae   (Grass Family)

Name Derivation:

Paspalum = __ (Latin);
Dilatatum = __ (Latin).

Synonyms:

Syn.___

Plant Description

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Habitat:

Along watercourses and irrigated places

Source in Malta:

Locally frequent, such as in Chadwick Lakes.

Plant Height:

May reach up to 1m in height.

Flowering Time:

May - Aug

The Golden Crown Grass is a large perennial that may grow up to 1m in height. Originating in South America, it has become naturalised throughout the Old Continent, and has been first recorded for our islands by P. Wolseley in Marsa in the 1970s. It grows erect with hairless, reedlike stems.

As in other members of the Grass family the leaves are divided into 3 parts - the Sheath encircles the stem. The lower sheaths are keeled and loose, whilst the upper sheaths clasp the flowering stems. The Ligule is membranous with a tuft of long white hairs. The Lamina (the leaf proper) is up to 40cm long, spear-shaped, flat, hairless and green in colour.

The flowering stems or Culms are in spikes that are spread on several branches like racemes and reach up to 8cm in size. These are drooping and curved. The spikelets are unilateral and all the spikes on a branch look in one direction. They are arranged in rows on the undersurface of the branch (seriate), may be solitary or paired. The spikelets are up to 3.5mm long and are ovate with a sharp edge.

The Spikelet itself consists of usually just one bractlike structure at the base called Glume(usually in the family Poaceae there are 2 glumes, but in this species the lower glume is rarely present). The upper Glume is as long as the spikelet, with long white hairs on the margins but hairless in the centre. The Florets consists of 3 stamens, 2 styles and 2 surrounding bract like structures called the Palea and the Lemma that are flat and rounded in structure. The fruit is in the form of a grain and is rounded in shape.

This species seems to be a recent introduction in our islands, which seems to be spreading slowly along our valleys. The species is the only one in the genus Paspalum found so far in our islands. It can be confused with members of the genus Echinochloa but in these the spikelets encircle the flowering stem and do not look in just one direction.

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