Poaceae
Sporobolus

Sporobolus mopane Cope

First published in Kew Bull. 53: 168 (1998)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Zimbabwe. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: low confidence
[AERP]

Gramineae, T. Cope. Flora Zambesiaca 10:2. 1999

Morphology General Habit
Loosely caespitose annual; culms up to 40 cm tall, erect, unbranched; leaf sheaths chartaceous, thinly pilose with tubercle-based hairs, lightly compressed but with a conspicuous keel; leaf laminas 1.5–5 cm × 2–4.5 mm, flat, thinly pilose with tubercle-based hairs, strongly tuberculate-pectinate on the margins, acute at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle 4.5–10 cm long, lanceolate; branches in a succession of whorls, smooth, eglandular, the spikelets loosely disposed along the primary branches on pedicels 1–2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 2.8–3.3 mm long, tinged with purple; inferior glume 1/4–1/3 the length of the spikelet, narrowly ovate, nerveless, glabrous, obtuse at the apex; superior glume as long as the spikelet, narrowly ovate-elliptic, 1-nerved, glabrous, acute at the apex; lemma as long as the spikelet or almost so, narrowly ovate-elliptic; anthers 3, c. 1.3 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Grain obovate, c. 1.5 mm long, strongly laterally compressed.
[FZ]

Morphology General Habit
Annual; caespitose; clumped loosely. Culms erect; 20-40 cm long. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths keeled; pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 1.5-5 cm long; 2-4.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins tuberculate-ciliate. Leaf-blade apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; lanceolate; 4.5-10 cm long. Primary panicle branches whorled at most nodes. Panicle branches eglandular; smooth. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1-2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 2.8-3.3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 2.8-3.3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; reaching apex of florets. Lower glume ovate; 0.25-0.33 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume elliptic, or ovate; 1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; red; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma elliptic; 2.8-3.3 mm long; membranous; without keel. Lemma apex acute. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 1.3 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; obovoid; flattened; 1.5 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: southern tropical.
Reference
Eragrostideae. FZ 1997.
[GB]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0