NGBT Logo Ministère de L'Environnement
Banque Nationale de Gènes

Welcome!
Welcome to the GR Database of The National Genebank of Tunisia.


Taxon:  Paspalum distichum L.



Summary
Genus:
Paspalum
Family:
Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)
Subfamily:
Panicoideae
Tribe:
Paniceae
Nomen number:
26845
Place of publication:
Syst. nat. ed. 10, 2:855. 1759
Comment:
controversy over typification resolved in Taxon 32:281. 1983
Verified:
05/11/1992 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
0 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System. 
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Digitaria paspalodes Michx.
Paspalum paspalodes (Michx.) Scribn.
No images
Reference(s)
  1. Adams, C. Flowering plants of Jamaica. 1972
  2. Allan, H. H. B. et al. Flora of New Zealand. 1961- http://floraseries.landcareresearch.co.nz/pages/index.aspx
  3. Botanical Society of the British Isles. BSBI taxon database (on-line resource). http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/BSBI/taxonsearch.php
  4. Boulos, L. Flora of Egypt. 1999-
  5. Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45. 1993
  6. Brummitt, R. K. 1983. Report of the Committee for Spermatophyta: 25. Taxon 32:281. Note: proposal to reject P. distichum L. not recommended, lectotypification also fixed
  7. Catasús Guerra, L. J. 2002. Las gramíneas (Poaceae) de Cuba, II. Cavanillesia Altera 3:1-163.
  8. CIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland. Documenta CIBA-GEIGY (Grass weeds 1. 1980, 2. 1981; Monocot weeds 3. 1982; Dicot weeds 1. 1988) Note: four books on weeds worldwide in scope
  9. Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. 1980-
  10. Davidse, G. et al., eds. Flora mesoamericana. 1994
  11. Davis, P. H., ed. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands. 1965-1988 Note: rejects as nom. confus., accepting P. paspalodes (Michx.) Scribn.
  12. Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource). http://www.emplantbase.org/home.html
  13. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. Flora zambesiaca. 1960- http://www.kew.org/efloras/namesearch.do
  14. FNA Editorial Committee. Flora of North America. 1993- http://floranorthamerica.org/
  15. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource). Note: http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/cropListDetails?code=&relation=beginsWith&name=Paspalum+distichum&quantity=1
  16. Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource). http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/2010/
  17. George, A. S., ed. Flora of Australia. 1980-
  18. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14. 2003
  19. Gibbs-Russell, G. E. et al. Grasses of southern Africa. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa vol. 58. 1990
  20. Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
  21. Herrera-Arrieta, Y. Las Gramíneus de Durango. 2001
  22. Holm, L. et al. A geographical atlas of world weeds. 1979
  23. Holm, L. et al. World weeds: natural histories and distribution. 1997 568. Note: John Wiley & Sons, New York
  24. Howard, R. Flora of the lesser Antilles. 1974-1989
  25. Hubbard, C. E. & R. E. Vaughan. The grasses of Mauritius and Rodriguez. 1940
  26. Koning, R. de & M. S. M. Sosef. 1985. The Malesian species of Paspalum L. (Gramineae). Blumea 30:295-297. http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/nhn/blumea
  27. Koyama, T. Grasses of Japan and its neighboring regions. 1987
  28. Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia. 1993
  29. León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). Flora de Cuba. 1946-1962; suppl. 1969
  30. Liogier, H. A. & L. F. Martorell. Flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands: a systematic synopsis, ed. 2. 2000
  31. Markle, G. M. et al., eds. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2. 1998
  32. McVaugh, R. Flora Novo-Galiciana. 1983-
  33. Migahid, A. M. Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3. 1988-1990
  34. Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. Flora of [West] Pakistan. 1970- Note: rejects as nom. confus., accepting P. paspalodes (Michx.) Scribn.
  35. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource). http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Frontpage.html
  36. Rehm, S. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants. 1994
  37. Renvoize, S. A. & W. D. Clayton. 1980. (528) Proposal to reject the name Paspalum distichum L. Syst. Nat. ed. 10,2:855 (1759). Taxon 29:339-340. http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iapt/tax
  38. Sell, P. & G. Murrell. Flora of Great Britain and Ireland. 1996-
  39. Sreekumar, P. V. & V. J. Nair. Flora of Kerala - grasses. 1991
  40. Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. Flora of Guatemala. 1946-1976
  41. Stevens, W. D. et al., eds. Flora de Nicaragua. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85(1-3). 2001
  42. 't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). 1989- 4:180. http://proseanet.org
  43. Tovar, Ó. 1993. Las gramíneas (Poaceae) del Perú. Ruizia 13:360-361.
  44. Virginia Botanical Associates. Digital atlas of the Virginia flora (on-line resource). http://www.vaplantatlas.org/
  45. Weber, E. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds. 2003
  46. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. Flora of China (English edition). 1994- http://www.efloras.org/browse.aspx?flora_id=2
  47. Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:463.
  48. Zuloaga, F. O. et al. Catalogo de la familia Poaceae en la Republica Argentina. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 47. 1994
  49. Webster's third new international dictionary. 1961
Common names
English
couch paspalum –
eternity grass –
ginger grass –
joint grass –
knotgrass –
Mercer grass –
seaside millet –
Thompson grass –
water couch –
water-finger grass –
Arabic
moddeid –
Japanese Rōmaji
kishū-suzume-no-hie –
Portuguese
grama-de-Joanópolis –
Portuguese (Brazil)
capim-arame –
grama-braba –
grama-da-praia –
grama-doce –
grama-rasteira-da-praia –
Spanish
grama colorada –
gramilla blanca –
Transcribed Chinese
shuang sui que bai –
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNote
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorth-Central U.S.A.United StatesKansass.
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorth-Central U.S.A.United StatesMissouri 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorth-Central U.S.A.United StatesOklahoma 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNortheastern U.S.A.United StatesNew Jersey 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoBaja Norte 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoBaja Sur 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoChihuahua 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoCoahuila 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoDurango 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoNuevo Leon 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoSan Luis Potosi 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoSonora 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoZacatecas 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthwestern U.S.A.United StatesIdahow.
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthwestern U.S.A.United StatesOregon 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthwestern U.S.A.United StatesWashington 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouth-Central U.S.A.United StatesNew Mexico 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouth-Central U.S.A.United StatesTexas 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesAlabama 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesArkansas 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesFlorida 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesGeorgia 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesKentuckyw.
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesLouisiana 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesMississippi 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesNorth Carolina 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesSouth Carolina 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesTennessee 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesVirginia 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoAguascalientes 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoChiapas 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoFederal District 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoGuanajuato 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoHidalgo 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoJalisco 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoMexico 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoMichoacan 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoMorelos 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoOaxaca 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoPuebla 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoQueretaro 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoTabasco 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoVeracruz 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthwestern U.S.A.United StatesArizona 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthwestern U.S.A.United StatesCalifornia 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthwestern U.S.A.United StatesNevada 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthwestern U.S.A.United StatesUtah 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilBahia 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilMato Grosso do Sul 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilMinas Gerais 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilPara 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilParana 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilPernambuco 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilRio Grande do Sul 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilSanta Catarina 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilSao Paulo 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilSergipe 
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanCuba  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanDominica  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanGrenada  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanGuadeloupe  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanHispaniola  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanJamaica  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanMartinique  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanPuerto Rico  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanSt. Lucia  
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanSt. Vincent and GrenadinesSt. Vincent 
1NativeSouthern AmericaMesoamericaCosta Rica  
1NativeSouthern AmericaMesoamericaEl Salvador  
1NativeSouthern AmericaMesoamericaGuatemala  
1NativeSouthern AmericaMesoamericaHonduras  
1NativeSouthern AmericaMesoamericaNicaragua  
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaFrench Guiana  
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaGuyana  
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaSuriname  
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaVenezuela  
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentina  
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaChile  
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaParaguay  
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaUruguay  
1NativeSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaBolivia  
1NativeSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaColombia  
1NativeSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaEcuador  
1NativeSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaPeru  
4NaturalizedAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalAzores 
4NaturalizedAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalMadeira Islands 
4NaturalizedAfricaMacaronesiaSpainCanary Islands 
4NaturalizedAfricaNorthern AfricaAlgeria  
4NaturalizedAfricaNorthern AfricaEgypt  
4NaturalizedAfricaNorthern AfricaLibya  
4NaturalizedAfricaNorthern AfricaMorocco  
4NaturalizedAfricaNorthern AfricaTunisia  
4NaturalizedAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZimbabwe  
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaEswatini  
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaLesotho  
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaNamibia  
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaEastern Cape 
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaFree State 
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaGauteng 
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaKwaZulu-Natal 
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaLimpopo 
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaMpumalanga 
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaNorth West 
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaNorthern Cape 
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaWestern Cape 
4NaturalizedAfricaWestern Indian OceanMauritius  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaSaudi Arabia  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateCaucasusAzerbaijan  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaAnhui 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaFujian 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaGuangxi 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaHainan 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaHenan 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaHubei 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaHunan 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaJiangsu 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaShandong 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaSichuan 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaYunnan 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaZhejiang 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaJapanKyushu 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaJapanRyukyu Islands 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaJapanShikoku 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaTaiwan  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateWestern Asia******  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaCyprus  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaEgyptSinai 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIran  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIraq  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaLebanon  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaSyria  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaTurkey  
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentBangladesh  
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaAssam 
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaBihar 
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaDelhi 
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaHimachal Pradesh 
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaJammu and Kashmir 
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaKerala 
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaMaharashtra 
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaManipur 
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaMeghalaya 
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaNagaland 
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaUttar Pradesh 
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaWest Bengal 
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentNepal  
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentPakistan  
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentSri Lanka  
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaLaos  
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaThailand  
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaVietnam  
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalMalesiaIndonesia  
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalMalesiaMalaysia  
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalMalesiaPhilippines  
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalNorth Indian OceanIndiaAndaman and Nicobar 
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustralia  
4NaturalizedAustralasiaNew ZealandNew Zealand  
4NaturalizedEuropeEast EuropeUkraineKrym 
4NaturalizedEuropeNorthern EuropeUnited Kingdom  
4NaturalizedEuropeSoutheastern EuropeAlbania  
4NaturalizedEuropeSoutheastern EuropeBulgaria  
4NaturalizedEuropeSoutheastern EuropeCroatia  
4NaturalizedEuropeSoutheastern EuropeGreece incl. Crete
4NaturalizedEuropeSoutheastern EuropeItaly incl. Sardinia, Sicily
4NaturalizedEuropeSoutheastern EuropeSlovenia  
4NaturalizedEuropeSouthwestern EuropeFrance incl. Corsica
4NaturalizedEuropeSouthwestern EuropePortugal  
4NaturalizedEuropeSouthwestern EuropeSpain incl. Baleares
4NaturalizedPacificNorthwestern PacificMicronesia  
6Other    exact native range obscure, probable origin neotropics
Native
Northern America
  • NORTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Kansas (s.), Missouri, Oklahoma]
  • NORTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [New Jersey]
  • NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Sonora, Zacatecas, Baja Norte, Baja Sur]
  • NORTHWESTERN U.S.A.: United States [Idaho (w.), Oregon, Washington]
  • SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [New Mexico, Texas]
  • SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky (w.), Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia]
  • SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Aguascalientes, Chiapas, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, Tabasco, Veracruz, Federal District]
  • SOUTHWESTERN U.S.A.: United States [Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah]
Southern America
  • BRAZIL: Brazil [Bahia, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Parana, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe]
  • CARIBBEAN: Hispaniola, Cuba, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Martinique, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent and Grenadines [St. Vincent]
  • MESOAMERICA: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador
  • NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
  • SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay
  • WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Naturalized
Africa
  • MACARONESIA: Spain [Canary Islands], Portugal [Azores, Madeira Islands]
  • NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Zimbabwe
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: Lesotho, Namibia, Eswatini, South Africa [KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West]
  • WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Mauritius
Asia-Temperate
  • ARABIAN PENINSULA: Saudi Arabia
  • CAUCASUS: Azerbaijan
  • CHINA: China [Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Henan, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi, Hainan]
  • EASTERN ASIA: Japan [Kyushu, Ryukyu Islands, Shikoku], Taiwan
  • WESTERN ASIA: Cyprus, Egypt [Sinai], Iran, Iraq, ******, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Bangladesh, India [Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi], Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan
  • INDO-CHINA: Laos, Thailand, Vietnam
  • MALESIA: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines
  • NORTH INDIAN OCEAN: India [Andaman and Nicobar]
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia
  • NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand
Europe
  • EAST EUROPE: Ukraine [Krym]
  • NORTHERN EUROPE: United Kingdom
  • SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Albania, Bulgaria, Greece (incl. Crete), Croatia, Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily), Slovenia
  • SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain (incl. Baleares), France (incl. Corsica), Portugal
Pacific
  • NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Micronesia
Other (exact native range obscure, probable origin neotropics)
Economic Uses
Animal food
Environmental
erosion control (fide Grass SAfr; Pl Res SEAs 4:180. 1992; Invasive Pl Spec) –
Harmful organism host
crop diseases (mostly of rice fide WorldWeeds 568. 1997) –
Vertebrate poisons
mammals (fide Econ Pl Aust) –
Weed
potential seed contaminant (fide Atlas WWeed; Invasive Pl Spec) –


NGBT Plant Germplasm System Distribution Policy

Plant germplasm is distributed to scientists, educators, producers and other bona fide research and education entities from National genebank of Tunisia active collection sites. The NGBT Curator and/or Research Leader will, in accordance with current NPGS policies and procedures, determine the legitimacy of a request when necessary.

Distributions to fulfill requests for repatriation of subsamples of germplasm collections to a country or community of origin, especially following natural or man-made catastrophes, are considered a high priority.

Although distributions for research, education, and repatriation are of the highest priority, the NPGS also encourages various seed-saver organizations and public gardens to conduct germplasm conservation activities that engage many individuals and groups throughout the country. Elements of the NPGS cooperate with seed-saver organizations and public gardens and may store germplasm for and distribute germplasm to such organizations.

Distribution of germplasm from NPGS collections to fulfill requests from individuals seeking free germplasm strictly for home use is generally considered an inappropriate use of limited resources and conflicts with U.S. Government policy of not competing with commercial enterprises. Requestors can be asked, in an appropriate manner, to justify the use of specific NPGS germplasm instead of suitable commercially available germplasm.

Accessions listed in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) database as “not available” due to insufficient or low viability seed and/or scheduled for regeneration will generally not be available for distribution.

Other accessions are listed in GRIN as “not available” because they are not a part of the NPGS collection per se, but are conserved in NPGS genebanks to meet specific needs as described later in the section entitled “Categories of Germplasm Distributed and Availability.” In this category are certain accessions of improved germplasm that are only available from the owner/developer. Other accessions require that specific conditions be met by the requestor before distribution is possible.

NPGS sites will not distribute germplasm internationally when they cannot comply with the importation or quarantine requirements of the recipient country unless the requestor can provide a valid waiver of such requirements.