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rattail smutgrass, smut grass

purple dropseed

Habit Plants perennial; cespitose, with tough fibrous roots, not rhizomatous. Plants perennial; cespitose, not rhizomatous.
Culms

30-100 (120) cm.

25-95 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, upper margins sometimes sparsely hispid-ciliate, apices hairy, hairs to 5 mm;

ligules 0.2-0.3 mm;

blades 8-22 cm long, 2-5 mm wide, flat or involute, glabrous abaxially, scabridulous adaxially, margins scabrous, sometimes sparsely hispid.

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.

5-30 cm long, 0.4-1.6 cm wide, narrow, contracted;

lower nodes with 3 or 5 branches;

primary branches 0.3-2 cm, appressed or spreading to 20° from the rachis, spikelet-bearing to near the base;

secondary branches appressed;

pedicels 0.2-2.5 mm, appressed, scabridulous.

Spikelets

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

2.8-3.8 mm, purplish-red.

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 lanceolate or ovate, hyaline to membranous;

lower glumes 0.9-3 mm;

upper glumes 2.9-3.8 mm, subequal to the florets;

lemmas 2.9-3.8 mm, ovate, membranous, glabrous, acute;

paleas 2.9-3.8 mm, ovate, membranous;

anthers 1.5-2 mm, yellowish to purplish.

Fruits

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

1.8-2.3 mm, ellipsoid, somewhat laterally flattened, rugulose, reddish-brown.

2n

= 18, 24, 36.

= 60.

Sporobolus indicus

Sporobolus purpurascens

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
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX
[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 purpurascens grows in oak scrub, prairie grasslands, and sandy sites near railroad crossings and roadsides, at elevations from 2-300 m. It extends from southern Texas through eastern Mexico, the West Indies, and Central America to Brazil.

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

Source FNA vol. 25, p. 122. FNA vol. 25, p. 133.
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. flexuosus, S. floridanus, S. giganteus, S. heterolepis, S. indicus, S. interruptus, S. jacquemontii, S. junceus, S. nealleyi, S. neglectus, S. pinetorum, S. pyramidatus, S. silveanus, S. tenuissimus, S. teretifolius, S. texanus, S. vaginiflorus, S. virginicus, S. wrightii
Synonyms S. poiretii
Name authority (L.) R. Br. (Sw.) Ham.
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