Tripsacum floridanum

Tripsacum floridanum is a species of grass in the family Poaceae known by the common name Florida gamagrass.[1] It is native to Cuba and the US state of Florida.[2][3][4]

Tripsacum floridanum
Conservation status
Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Panicoideae
Genus:	Tripsacum
Species:	T. floridanum
Binomial name
Tripsacum floridanum Porter ex Vasey

This grass grows from a short, thick rhizome and produces stems up to a meter tall. It may produce one stem or a small clump of stems. The leaves are up to 60 centimeters long and 1 to 15 millimeters wide. The inflorescence contains both male and female spikelets.[4]

This grass grows in pine woods, often in moist areas.[4] It often grows near Pinus elliottii var. densa.[5] Though uncommon in general, the grass is "moderately common in Everglades National Park."[5]

This species is grown as an ornamental plant.[4]

Genus Tripsacum is related to maize (Zea mays).[6] Species of Tripsacum, especially T. floridanum, have been crossed with maize to produce a corn that is resistant to Helminthosporium turcicum, the fungus that causes northern leaf blight in the crop.[2][7]