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rattail smutgrass, smut grass

mesa dropseed

Habit Plants perennial; cespitose, with tough fibrous roots, not rhizomatous. Plants perennial (rarely appearing annual); cespitose, not rhizomatous, bases not hard and knotty.
Culms

30-100 (120) cm.

30-100(120) cm tall, 1-3 mm thick near the base, erect to decumbent.

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, smooth or scabridulous, margins sometimes ciliate distally, apices with tufts of hairs, hairs to 4 mm;

ligules 0.5-1 mm;

blades (2)5-24 cm long, 2-4(6) mm wide, ascending or strongly divergent, flat to 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.

10-30 cm long, 4-12 cm wide, longer than wide, open, subovate to oblong;

rachises drooping or nodding;

lower nodes with 1-2 branches;

primary branches 1-8(12) cm, flexible, diverging at least 70° from the rachis, often strongly reflexed to 130°, tangled with each other and with branches from adjacent panicles;

lower branches no longer than those in the middle, usually included in the uppermost sheath;

secondary branches widely spreading, without spikelets on the lower 1/8 – 1/2;

pulvini pubescent;

pedicels 0.3-3 mm, spreading, scabridulous.

Spikelets

2-2.6(2.7) mm, plumbeous to light brownish.

1.8-2.5 mm, plumbeous.

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, ovate, membranous;

lower glumes 0.9-1.5 mm;

upper glumes 1.4-2.5 mm, subequal to the florets;

lemmas 1.4-2.5 mm, lanceolate to ovate, membranous, glabrous, acute;

paleas 1.4-2.4 mm, ovate, membranous;

anthers 0.4-0.7 mm, yellow.

Fruits

1-1.2 mm, quadrangular, laterally compressed, reddish-brown, truncate.

0.6-1 mm, ellipsoid, light brownish to reddish-orange.

2n

= 18, 24, 36.

= 36, 38.

Sporobolus indicus

Sporobolus flexuosus

Distribution
from FNA
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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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; KS; MT; NM; NV; TX; UT
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[BONAP county map]
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 flexuosus grows on sandy to gravelly slopes, flats, and roadsides in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is associated with desert scrub, pinyon-juniper woodlands, and yellow pine forests. Its elevational range is 800-2100 m.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 25, p. 122. FNA vol. 25, p. 131.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Chloridoideae > tribe Cynodonteae > Sporobolus Poaceae > subfam. Chloridoideae > tribe Cynodonteae > Sporobolus
Sibling taxa
S. airoides, S. buckleyi, S. clandestinus, S. coahuilensis, S. compositus, S. contractus, S. creber, S. cryptandrus, S. curtissii, S. diandrus, S. domingensis, S. fimbriatus, S. flexuosus, S. floridanus, S. giganteus, S. heterolepis, S. interruptus, S. jacquemontii, S. junceus, S. nealleyi, S. neglectus, S. pinetorum, S. purpurascens, S. pyramidatus, S. silveanus, S. tenuissimus, S. teretifolius, S. texanus, S. vaginiflorus, S. virginicus, S. wrightii
S. airoides, S. buckleyi, S. clandestinus, S. coahuilensis, S. compositus, S. contractus, S. creber, S. cryptandrus, S. curtissii, S. diandrus, S. domingensis, S. fimbriatus, S. floridanus, S. giganteus, S. heterolepis, S. indicus, S. interruptus, S. jacquemontii, S. junceus, S. nealleyi, S. neglectus, S. pinetorum, S. purpurascens, S. pyramidatus, S. silveanus, S. tenuissimus, S. teretifolius, S. texanus, S. vaginiflorus, S. virginicus, S. wrightii
Synonyms S. poiretii
Name authority (L.) R. Br. (Thurb. ex Vasey) Rydb.
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