Sporobolus virginicus
Sporobolus coahuilensis
marine couch, sand couch, seashore dropseed
10-65 cm, erect to decumbent.
15-60 cm, ascending, glabrous.
overlapping, margins ciliate, apices with tufts of hairs, hairs to 2 mm;
ligules 0.1-0.4 mm;
blades usually conspicuously distichous, 4-16 cm long, 2-5 mm wide, flat to loosely involute, glabrous abaxially, scabridulous adaxially, margins scabridulous.
shorter than the internodes, glabrous;
ligules 0.5-1 mm, ciliate;
blades 4-12 cm long, 1.5-6 mm wide, flat, spreading, evenly distributed, adaxial surfaces sparsely ciliate-pustulate.
3-10 cm long, 0.4-1.6 cm wide, contracted, spikelike, dense;
primary branches 0.5-2 cm, appressed, spikelet-bearing to the base;
pedicels 0.2-1.4 mm, appressed.
6-22 cm long, (1)5-13 cm wide, open, sometimes contracted;
branches terminating in a spikelet, lowest branches whorled, in verticels of 7-20;
pedicels (2)3-6(8) mm, widely spreading, capillary.
(1.8)2-3.2 mm, yellowish-white to purplish-tinged, sometimes grayish.
1.1-1.5 mm.
subequal, ovate-oblong, membranous;
lower glumes 1.5-2.4 mm;
upper glumes 1.8-3(3.2) mm;
lemmas 2.1-3 mm, ovate to lanceolate, membranous, glabrous, acute;
paleas 2.1-3 mm, ovate, membranous;
anthers 3, 1-1.7 mm, yellowish.
thin, acute;
lower glumes about 0.5 mm;
upper glumes 1.1-1.5;
lemmas 1.1-1.4 mm, acute;
paleas 1-1.3 mm, hyaline.
not known.
0.6-0.9 mm, oblong, light brown;
embryos 0.2-0.4 mm.
= 20, 30.
Sporobolus virginicus
Sporobolus coahuilensis
Sporobolus virginicus grows on sandy beaches, sand dunes, and in saline habitats, primarily along the south-eastern coast, occasionally inland. Its range extends through Mexico and Central America to Peru, Chile, and Brazil. No fruits of this species have been found despite examination of several natural populations and over 200 herbarium specimens.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Sporobolus coahuilensis is primarily known from central Coahuila in Mexico. It has recently been found in Brewster and Hudspeth counties, Texas (Turner 2004). It is not clear whether it has been overlooked in the past or is a recent introduction. Sporobolus coahuilensis appears to be closely related to the widespread species S. pyramidatus, from which it differs in its long capillary pedicels and usually wider panicles.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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