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Paspalum vaginatum
Also called Biscuit Grass, Saltwater Couch, Silt Grass, Sheathed Paspalum
Seashore paspalum is a perennial grass that spreads by rhizomes and stolons to form a dense turf, and is widely grown as a salt-tolerant lawn and golf course grass. Its key strength is tolerance of salt, wet soils and saltwater or greywater irrigation.
Paspalum vaginatum is a species of grass known by many names, including seashore paspalum, biscuit grass, saltwater couch, silt grass, and swamp couch. It is native to the Americas, where it grows in tropical and subtropical regions. It is found throughout the other tropical areas of the world, where it is an introduced species and sometimes an invasive weed. It is also cultivated as a turfgrass in many places.
This grass has been bred into cultivars which are used for golf course turf and other landscaping projects. It forms a higher quality turf than bermudagrass in poor conditions, such as wet soils and low light levels, and with fewer nitrogen soil amendments. It can grow in lawns that receive rain on 250 days per year, and it can survive being waterlogged or submerged for several days at a time. It tolerates foot traffic. The main advantage of this grass is that it is very salt-tolerant. It can be irrigated with non-potable water, such as greywater, an important advantage in a time when there are increasing restrictions on water use. The grass can even be irrigated with saltwater. The grass will be lower in quality than that irrigated with potable water, but it survives. This species has "filled a niche in America", being a better grass to use on turf next to the ocean in places that receive sea spray. "It has the highest salt tolerance of all turfgrasses." It is also more competitive against weeds than similar grasses.
Paspalum azuayense · Paspalum batianoffii · Pitchfork crowngrass · Blodgett's crowngrass · Paspalum canarae · Paspalum ceresia · Hilograss · Dallisgrass · Knotgrass · Florida paspalum · Field paspalum · Bahiagrass
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Paspalum vaginatum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
