Tripsacum floridanum is a species of grass in the family Poaceae known by the common name Florida gamagrass. It is native to Cuba and the US state of Florida.Tripsacum floridanum. Center for Plant Conservation.Tripsacum floridanum. Grass Manual Treatment.
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.
This grass grows in pine woods, often in moist areas. It often grows near Pinus elliottii var. densa.Tripsacum floridanum. Nature Serve. Though uncommon in general, the grass is "moderately common in Everglades National Park."
This species is grown as an ornamental plant.
Genus Tripsacum is related to maize (Zea mays).Tantravahi, R. V. (1971). Multiple character analysis and chromosome studies in the Tripsacum lanceolatum complex. Evolution 25(1) 38-50. 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.Hooker, A L. (1981). Resistance to Helminthosporium turcicum from Tripsacum floridanum incorporated into corn. Maize Genet Coop Newsl 55: 87–88.
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