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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] 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] References
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