Poaceae
Sporobolus

Sporobolus angustifolius A.Rich.

First published in Tent. Fl. Abyss. 2: 396 (1850)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Eritrea to S. Tropical Africa, Arabian Peninsula. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 12-60 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades filiform, or linear; convolute; 5-12 cm long; 1-2 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; linear, or lanceolate, or ovate; 5-16 cm long; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches naked below. Panicle branches glabrous in axils. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 2-3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 2-3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong, or ovate; 0.8-1.4 mm long; 0.7-0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 1.1-1.2 mm long; 0.5-0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; dark green, or grey; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface smooth, or asperulous. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 2-3 mm long; membranous; dark green, or grey; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous. Lemma apex acute. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.7-1.2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; ellipsoid; 1-1.2 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, and southern tropical. Asia-temperate: Arabia.
Reference
Eragrostideae. FTEA.
[GB]

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

Morphology General Habit
Densely caespitose perennial without rhizomes or stolons; culms up to 60 cm tall, erect, unbranched; basal leaf sheaths firmly chartaceous, glabrous, terete, decaying into a cushion of persistent fibres; leaf laminas 4–8(12) cm × 0.5–2 mm, tightly involute, ± filiform, smooth and glabrous, acute at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle 5–11 cm long, linear to narrowly ovate or ovate; primary branches not in whorls, smooth or scabridulous, eglandular, the spikelets subsecund loosely contracted about the primary branches, these bare of spikelets or branchlets in the lower 1/4–1/3.Spikelets 1.8–2.6 mm long, grey-green to very dark green; inferior glume 1/3–1/2 the length of the spikelet, oblong to narrowly ovate, hyaline, nerveless, glabrous, raggedly obtuse to acute at the apex; superior glume (1/2)3/5–3/4 the length of the spikelet, narrowly ovate, hyaline, 1-nerved, glabrous, acute at the apex; lemma as long as the spikelet, narrowly ovate, acute; anthers 3, 0.8–1.3 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Grain 1–1.2 mm long, elliptic, truncate at the top.
[FZ]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Densely tufted perennial up to 60 cm high; basal sheaths becoming fibrous with age
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle linear to narrowly ovate, 5–16 cm long, the spikelets ± secund and loosely contracted about the branchlets, the primary branches bare of spikelets or branchlets in the lower 1/4–1/3
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 2–3 mm long; lower glume oblong to narrowly ovate, 0.8–1.4 mm long; upper glume narrowly ovate, 1/2–3/4 the length of the spikelet; lemma narrowly ovate, as long as the spikelet; anthers 3, 0.7–1.2 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Grain ellipsoid, truncate, 1–1.2 mm long.
Distribution
S1; tropical Africa, Arabia
[FSOM]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton, S. M. Phillips & S. A. Renvoize. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1974

Morphology General Habit
Densely caespitose perennial, the basal sheaths becoming fibrous with age; culms 12–60 cm. high, erect.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades convolute, sometimes filiform, rarely flattened, 5–12 cm. long, 1–2 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle linear to narrowly ovate, 5–16 cm. long, the spikelets loosely contracted and ± secund about the primary branches, which are bare for the lower 1/4–1/3 of their length.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 2–3 mm. long, smooth or scaberulous, grey-green to very dark green; lower glume oblong to narrowly ovate, 0.8–1 .4 mm. long; upper glume narrowly ovate, 1.1–2.1 mm. long, 1/2–3/4 the length of the spikelet; lemma narrowly ovate, as long as the spikelet; anthers 3, 0.7–1.2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Grain ellipsoid, 1–1.2 mm. long, truncate.
Habitat
Open stony places in deciduous bushland, and shallow seasonally moist soils; 1600–2600 m.
Distribution
K1 K2 K3 K4 T2 T3 T4 T6 U1 U2 U4
[FTEA]

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

  • Flora Zambesiaca

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

  • Flora of Somalia

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

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • 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

  • 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 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