Bahia-grass
Paspalum notatum
-30
Harmful
Native status: sources disagree, under review. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 59%
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil moisture
- Somewhat dry to moist
Do not plant. Listed invasive in Louisiana.
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Perennial
Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Leaves · Bloom
This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.
Recorded in 60 Louisiana parishes.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 117 animals.
- Mottled DuckAnas fulvigula
- Neotropic CormorantPhalacrocorax brasilianus
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Orange-crowned WarblerVermivora celata
- Palm WarblerDendroica palmarum
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus
- Prairie WarblerDendroica discolor
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Purple FinchCarpodacus purpureus
- Red-bellied WoodpeckerMelanerpes carolinus
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- Ring-necked PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Ross's GooseChen rossii
- Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Scissor-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus forficatus
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
Widespread birds also seen here (17)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
18CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA
Genus host records with ranges including LA · Paspalum
- Anicla infectaGreen Cutworm Moth
- Argyrotaenia ivanaIvana Leafroller Moth
- Diatraea evanescensBlack-Dot Diatraea
- Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
- Hedone vibexWhirlabout
- Herpetogramma phaeopteralisDusky Herpetogramma Moth,
- Hylephila phyleusFiery Skipper
- Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
- Lerema acciusClouded Skipper, Corn Leaf tier
- Lerodea eufalaEufala Skipper, Gray Skipper, Rice Leafroller
Show all 18
- Mocis texanaTexas Mocis
- Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
- Panoquina panoquinoidesObscure Skipper, Beach Skipper
- Polites othoSouthern Broken-Dash, Broken-Dash Skipper
- Redectis vitreaWhite-Spotted Redactis
- Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
13BirdsRecorded eating Paspalum in Louisiana
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Louisiana, most records first.
- Wild TurkeySeeds. 21 diet records
- Common Ground-dove10 diet records
- Mourning Dove6 diet records
- Brown-headed Cowbird4 diet records
- Northern Bobwhite4 diet records
- Wood DuckSeeds. 4 diet records
- Red-winged Blackbird2 diet records
- Bobolink2 diet records
- Sora2 diet records
- American Pipit1 diet record
Show all 13
- Common Grackle1 diet record
- Great-tailed Grackle1 diet record
- King RailSeeds. 1 diet record
Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
Birds that eat Paspalum 13
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Common Ground-doveColumbina passerina
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorus
- SoraPorzana carolina
- American PipitAnthus rubescens
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula
- Great-tailed GrackleQuiscalus mexicanus
- King RailRallus elegans
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Poaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 8a–10b
- Soil pH
- Acidic
What its natural habitat tells you
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Hardiness · “Zones 8a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Bahia grass
Conservation status
| Louisiana rank | SNA |
|---|---|
| Global rank | GNR |
| LA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Native alternatives
Find natives for your gardenSources
- NatureServe Explorer
- USDA PLANTS
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- Louisiana occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications