What is "paspaleae"

Paspaleae is a tribe of the Panicoideae subfamily in the grasses ( Poaceae), native to the tropical and subtropical Americas but with a number of species introduced to other regions. It includes roughly 680 species in 39 genera. Species in this tribe use either of the C or C photosynthetic pathways.

The tribe used to be included in the Paniceae but was recognised as distinct following molecular phylogenetic analyses in 2012. The Paspaleae have an ancestral number of chromosomes ( monoploid number) of x = 10, unlike the Paniceae sensu stricto with x = 9, and are more closely related to the tribes Andropogoneae and Arundinelleae. The tribe is subdivided into three subtribes, with one genus, Reynaudia, unplaced ( incertae sedis) and probably basal to the other genera. The genus Lecomtella is sometimes included but a study suggested this genus was a distinct clade and best treated as separate tribe, Lecomtelleae.