Poaceae
Sporobolus

Sporobolus compositus (Poir.) Merr.

First published in Circ. Div. Agrostol. U.S.D.A. 32: 6 (1901)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is N. America. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; culms solitary, or caespitose. Rhizomes absent, or elongated; scaly. Culms erect; 60-170 cm long; 1-5 mm diam. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 10-30 cm long; 1-4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle; terminal and axillary; subtended by an inflated leaf-sheath; embraced at base by subtending leaf, or enclosed. Axillary inflorescences enclosed. Panicle spiciform; linear; dense, or loose; 5-30 cm long; 0.4-1 cm wide. Primary panicle branches 8-35 in number. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 4-6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 4-6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; shorter than spikelet; shiny. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.5-1 length of upper glume; membranous; mid-green, or purple; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 1.4-2 mm long; membranous; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers eventually exserted, or retained within floret (when panicle axillary).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with free soft pericarp.
Distribution
North America: eastern Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, and southeast USA.
Reference
Eragrostideae. Gr Tex 1993.
[GB]

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: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • 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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. 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 2026. 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