FNPS Plant Database

Paspalum vaginatum

seashore paspalum

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

Nomenclature

Common Name:

seashore paspalum

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Paspalum vaginatum

Family:

Poaceae (Gramineae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

grass

Size:

0.3-0.8 ft tall by spreads ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

NA

Fruit Color:

NA

Phenology:

evergreen

Noted For:

Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Used as a turf grass or in a wet meadow.

Considerations:

Said to be hard to cut and requires frequent cutting. If cut too low, it may recover slowly.

Availability:

Specialty Provider

Propagation:

This sod former can be acquired as sod or sprigged from pieces of rhizomes.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Coming Soon!

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---to--- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salt.

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

Suitable to Grow In:

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Native Habitats:

Beaches, borders of salt marshes, disturbed brackish sites.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Similar in general appearance to St. Augustine grass. To look nice as a turf grass, seashore paspalum requires water and fertilizer and needs frequent mowing. High tolerance for heat and salt and will tolerate some shade. Tolerates some traffic and can recover quickly from moderate wear during spring and summer, but not suited to heavy uses such as ball fields. There is question on how appropriate it is to consider the cultivated varieties native.



The range in Florida is essentially the sandy coastal areas.  A few other herbarium specimens appear to have been gathered from disturbed areas.  Given that this species is being used as a turf grass, we can expect it to occasionally occur outside of its historic settings.

Citations:

Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/). Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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