Sporobolus indicus |
Sporobolus domingensis |
|
---|---|---|
rattail smutgrass, smut grass |
coral dropseed |
|
Habit | Plants perennial; cespitose, with tough fibrous roots, not rhizomatous. | Plants perennial; cespitose, not rhizomatous. |
Culms | 30-100 (120) cm. |
20-100 cm. |
Sheaths | usually keeled below, glabrous; ligules 0.2-0.5 mm; blades (6)10-30(50) cm long, 1-5 mm wide, flat, glabrous on both surfaces. |
rounded below, distal margins and apices hairy, hairs to 3 mm; ligules 0.2-1.2 mm; blades 5-20 cm long, 3-8 mm wide, flat to loosely involute, glabrous abaxially, scabridulous adaxially, margins scabridulous. |
Panicles | 20-35(50) cm long, 0.3-2.2(3) cm wide, contracted, narrow, sometimes included in the uppermost sheath; primary branches 0.4-2.5(5) cm, appressed or spreading to 40° from the rachis, as long or longer than the adjacent internodes; secondary branches appressed, spikelet-bearing to near the base; pulvini glabrous; pedicels 0.1-1.8 mm, appressed. |
10-25(35) cm long, 1-5 cm wide, usually some-what contracted, sometimes spikelike, often interrupted below; primary branches 0.7-7 cm, appressed or spreading to 30° from the rachis, spikelet-bearing to the base; secondary branches appressed; pedicels 0.2-1.4 mm, appressed. |
Spikelets | 2-2.6(2.7) mm, plumbeous to light brownish. |
1.6-2 mm, yellowish-green to grayish. |
Glumes | subequal, ovate or obovate, membranous; lower glumes 0.5-1 mm, often without midveins; upper glumes 0.8-1.6 mm, 1/2 - 2/3 as long as the florets, acute to obtuse, entire; lemmas 1.8-2.6(2.7) mm, ovate, membranous, glabrous, acute or obtuse; paleas 1.9-2.4 mm, ovate, membranous, glabrous; anthers 3, 0.5-1.1 mm, white, sometimes purple-tinged. |
unequal, linear-lanceolate to ovate, membranous; lower glumes 0.5-1.1 mm, usually without veins; upper glumes 1.1-2 mm, subequal to the lemmas; lemmas 1.1-2 mm, ovate, membranous, glabrous (occasionally minutely pubescent), acute; paleas 1-2 mm, ovate, membranous; anthers 2 or 3, 0.5-1 mm, yellowish or purplish. |
Fruits | 1-1.2 mm, quadrangular, laterally compressed, reddish-brown, truncate. |
0.7-1.1 mm, ellipsoid, laterally flattened, light brownish. |
2n | = 18, 24, 36. |
= unknown. |
Sporobolus indicus |
Sporobolus domingensis |
|
Distribution |
AL; AR; CA; FL; GA; IL; KY; LA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OK; OR; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; HI; PR; Virgin Islands
|
AZ; FL; GA; TX; PR |
Discussion | Sporobolus indicus is a pantropical species. It commonly grows in disturbed places and open areas such as roadsides, pastures, and lake shores. In the Flora region, it is found on sandy or clay soils and is associated with many plant communities. The spikelets and upper leaves are often covered with hyphomycetous fungi (Bipolaris spp.); hence the common name of "smutgrass". (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Sporobolus domingensis grows in sandy, rocky, or alkaline soils, often in disturbed sites adjacent to the coast and below 20 m. Its range extends to the Antilles and the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 25, p. 122. | FNA vol. 25, p. 126. |
Parent taxa | Poaceae > subfam. Chloridoideae > tribe Cynodonteae > Sporobolus | Poaceae > subfam. Chloridoideae > tribe Cynodonteae > Sporobolus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. poiretii | |
Name authority | (L.) R. Br. | (Trin.) Kunth |
Web links |
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