Sporobolus indicus |
Sporobolus tenuissimus |
|
---|---|---|
rattail smutgrass, smut grass |
tropical dropseed |
|
Habit | Plants perennial; cespitose, with tough fibrous roots, not rhizomatous. | Plants annual; tufted. |
Culms | 30-100 (120) cm. |
30-100 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. |
glabrous, including the apices; ligules 0.2-0.3 mm; blades 5-23 cm long, 2-4 mm wide, flat or folded, glabrous on both surfaces, margins glabrous. |
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. |
(8)15-30 cm long, 3.5-8 cm wide, open, diffuse, cylindrical; lower nodes with 1-2(3) branches; primary branches 0.6-5 cm, capillary, spreading 30-70° from the rachises, without spikelets on the lower 1/2; secondary branches spreading; pedicels 0.5-5 mm. |
Spikelets | 2-2.6(2.7) mm, plumbeous to light brownish. |
0.7-1.1 mm, plumbeous to purplish. |
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, obovate to ovate, membranous; lower glumes 0.1-0.4 mm, occasionally absent; upper glumes 0.2-0.5 mm; lemmas 0.7-1.1 mm, elliptic, membranous, glabrous, acute to obtuse; paleas 0.7-1.1 mm, elliptic, membranous; anthers 0.2-0.3 mm, yellowish. |
Fruits | 1-1.2 mm, quadrangular, laterally compressed, reddish-brown, truncate. |
0.4-0.7 mm, pyriform or quadroid, somewhat laterally flattened, light brownish to whitish. |
2n | = 18, 24, 36. |
= 12. |
Sporobolus indicus |
Sporobolus tenuissimus |
|
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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FL; SC; PR; Virgin Islands |
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 tenuissimus is native to the Western Hemisphere, and introduced to Africa and Asia. Its native distribution in the Americas is tropical, extending from southern Mexico to Brazil and Paraguay. It has been found at a few locations in the southeastern United States, at 0-100 m. It grows in disturbed areas, often occurring as a weed in gardens and cultivated fields. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 25, p. 122. | FNA vol. 25, p. 118. |
Parent taxa | Poaceae > subfam. Chloridoideae > tribe Cynodonteae > Sporobolus | Poaceae > subfam. Chloridoideae > tribe Cynodonteae > Sporobolus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. poiretii | |
Name authority | (L.) R. Br. | (Mart, ex Schrank) Kuntze |
Web links |
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