Japanese name: シマスズメノヒエ（島雀の稗） Scientific name:Paspalum dilatatum
[Overview]
A perennial 0.5–1.5 m tall, found on sunny roadsides, embankments and grasslands.
It has short rhizomes, and the culms (stems) grow in clumps.
The leaves are alternate and linear, 10–30 cm long, hairless on both sides.
The leaf sheaths on the upper part of the stem are hairless except at the mouth, while those of the basal leaves have spreading hairs.
The flower spike bears 3–7 racemes 5–10 cm long.
The racemes spread out or droop slightly, with long white hairs at the base, and the spikelets are arranged in 2–3 rows on one side of the axis.
The spikelets are ovate, 3–3.5 mm long, with long white hairs on the margin.
The anthers and stigmas are blackish purple and conspicuous at flowering.
[History]
It was cultivated as a forage grass in warm regions, and after being used for revegetation following the war, its naturalization spread to various places.
