Sporobolus indicus |
Sporobolus diandrus |
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rattail smutgrass, smut grass |
tussock dropseed |
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Habit | Plants perennial; cespitose, with tough fibrous roots, not rhizomatous. | Plants perennial; cespitose, not rhizomatous. |
Culms | 30-100 (120) cm. |
30-80 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. |
keeled or rounded; ligules 0.2-0.5 mm; blades 10-30 cm long, 2-4 mm wide, flat, becoming folded. |
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. |
15-35 cm long, 0.4-4 cm wide, contracted to rather lax and open; primary branches appressed to strongly ascending, without spikelets on the lower XA, lower branches much longer than the internodes; pedicels 0.1-3 mm. |
Spikelets | 2-2.6(2.7) mm, plumbeous to light brownish. |
1.3-1.8 mm, plumbeous to greenish. |
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. |
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Fruits | 1-1.2 mm, quadrangular, laterally compressed, reddish-brown, truncate. |
0.7-0.9 mm, quadrangular, laterally compressed, reddish-brown, truncate. |
Lower | glumes 0.4-0.8 mm, acuminate to truncate; upper glumes 0.7-1 mm, usually less than H as long as the florets, rarely longer, faintly 1-veined, truncate, erose to denticulate; lemmas 1.2-1.6(1.8) mm, elliptic, glabrous, 1-veined, acute to obtuse; paleas 1.4-1.8 mm, elliptic; anthers 2(3), 0.5-0.8 mm. |
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2n | = 18, 24, 36. |
= 12. |
Sporobolus indicus |
Sporobolus diandrus |
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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
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HI |
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 diandrus is native from India to southeast Asia and Australia. It is not common in North America, being known only from a few counties in Florida, Mississippi, and Texas. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 25, p. 122. | FNA vol. 25, p. 124. |
Parent taxa | Poaceae > subfam. Chloridoideae > tribe Cynodonteae > Sporobolus | Poaceae > subfam. Chloridoideae > tribe Cynodonteae > Sporobolus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. poiretii | S. indicus var. flaccidus |
Name authority | (L.) R. Br. | (Retz.) P. Beauv. |
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