Taxon: Paspalum virgatum L.

Summary

Genus:

Paspalum

Family:

Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)

Subfamily:

Panicoideae

Tribe:

Paspaleae

Subtribe:

Paspalinae

Nomen number:

26935

Place of publication:

Syst. nat. ed. 10, 2:855. 1759

Typification:

View in Linnean Typification Project

Verified:

05/30/1995 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

8 (4 active, 3 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Autonym(s)
Paspalum virgatum L. var. virgatum

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Paspalum wettsteinii Hack.

Images (2 total. Click on image for more.)

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
Beetle, A. A. 1977. Noteworthy grasses from Mexico V. Phytologia 37:387.
Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
Catasús Guerra, L. J. 2002. Las gramíneas (Poaceae) de Cuba, II. Cavanillesia Altera 3:1-163.
CIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland. Documenta CIBA-GEIGY (Grass weeds 1. 1980, 2. 1981; Monocot weeds 3. 1982; Dicot weeds 1. 1988) Note: four books on weeds worldwide in scope
Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
Görts-van Rijn, A. R. A., ed. 1986-. Flora of the Guianas.
Hitchcock, A. S. 1950. Manual of the grasses of the United States, ed. 2.
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
Liogier, H. A. & L. F. Martorell. 1982. Flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands: a systematic synopsis.
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone. 2005. Revisión de las especies de Paspalum para América del Sur Austral (Argentina, Bolivia, sur de Brasil, Chile, Paraguay y Uruguay). Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 102:1-297.
Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:522.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	Clyde Road grass	1	Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
English	upright paspalum	1	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
English	water couch	1	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	caguazo	2	Catasús Guerra, L. J. 2002. Las gramíneas (Poaceae) de Cuba, II. Cavanillesia Altera 3:1-163.
Spanish	camalote blanco	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	marciega	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	talquezal	2	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	San Luis Potosí
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Tamaulipas
1	Native	Northern America	South-Central U.S.A.	United States	Texas	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas	Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Jalisco
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Nayarit
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tabasco	Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil		Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Antigua and Barbuda		Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Barbados		Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba		León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Dominica		Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Grenada		Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Guadeloupe		Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Jamaica		Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Martinique		Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Montserrat		Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Kitts and Nevis	Saint Kitts	Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Lucia		Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Vincent and Grenadines		Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize		Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica		Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala		Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras		Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua		Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama		Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	French Guiana		Görts-van Rijn, A. R. A., ed. 1986-. Flora of the Guianas.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Guyana		Görts-van Rijn, A. R. A., ed. 1986-. Flora of the Guianas.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Suriname		Görts-van Rijn, A. R. A., ed. 1986-. Flora of the Guianas.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina	Jujuy	Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina	Salta	Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Paraguay		Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Uruguay
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Bolivia		Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Colombia
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Peru		Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45

Native
Northern America

SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Texas]
NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Chiapas, Jalisco, Nayarit, Tabasco, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave]

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis [Saint Kitts], St. Lucia, Montserrat, Martinique, United States [Puerto Rico], St. Vincent and Grenadines
CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
BRAZIL: Brazil
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina [Jujuy, Salta], Paraguay, Uruguay

Reference(s)

Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
Görts-van Rijn, A. R. A., ed. 1986-. Flora of the Guianas.
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Weed			CIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland. Documenta CIBA-GEIGY (Grass weeds 1. 1980, 2. 1981; Monocot weeds 3. 1982; Dicot weeds 1. 1988) Note: four books on weeds worldwide in scope
Weed			Catasús Guerra, L. J. 2002. Las gramíneas (Poaceae) de Cuba, II. Cavanillesia Altera 3:1-163.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=26935. Accessed 12 May 2026.