Poaceae
Sporobolus

Sporobolus centrifugus (Trin.) Nees

First published in Fl. Afr. Austral. Ill.: 158 (1841)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Congo to South Sudan and S. Africa, Madagascar. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Densely caespitose perennial; culms 20–80 cm. high; basal sheaths indurated, yellow and horny, rarely broad and papery.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades filiform, 6–30 cm. long, mostly 1–1.5 mm. wide, the culm leaves sometimes broader and up to 5 mm. wide, hairy or glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle narrowly ovate to pyramidal, sometimes ± contracted, (4–)8–18 cm. long; primary branches in 4–8 whorls, the spikelets gathered into dense clusters at their tips.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 2.5–4.2 mm. long, glabrous, very dark green; lower glume narrowly lanceolate, 2.2–3.5 mm. long, three-quarters to as long as the spikelet, acuminate; upper glume lanceolate, as long as the spikelet, acuminate; lemma similar to the upper glume but a little shorter; anthers 3, 1.7–2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Grain ellipsoid, 1.7–2 mm. long.
Habitat
Short fire-swept grass in wooded grassland; 2300 m.
Distribution
K3 T4
[FTEA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Densely caespitose perennial with short oblique rhizome; culms up to 80 cm tall, erect, unbranched; basal leaf sheaths expanded, indurated, horny and either yellow or chestnut-brown or rarely broad and chartaceous, glabrous or pilose, terete, persistent; leaf laminas 6–30 cm × 1–2.5 mm (but those higher up on the culm sometimes broader and up to 5 mm wide), stiff, tightly involute or rarely flat, glabrous or pilose on the surface, smooth or scabrid on the margins or rarely pectinate with tubercle-based setae, acute at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle (4)8–13(18) cm long, narrowly ovate to pyramidal, sometimes ± contracted; branches in a succession of whorls, these progressively shorter upwards, glabrous, with inconspicuous long linear glands, the spikelets in dense clusters at the tips of the primary branches.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets (2.2)2.7–4.7(5.2) mm long, very dark green; inferior glume 3/4 as long to almost as long as the spikelet, narrowly lanceolate, 0–1-nerved, glabrous, acuminate at the apex; superior glume as long as the spikelet, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 1-nerved, glabrous, acuminate at the apex; lemma almost as long as the spikelet, lanceolate to narrowly ovate; anthers 3, (1)1.9–2.2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Grain 1.7–2.2 mm long, elliptic.
[FZ]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths indurate; yellow; glossy. Culms erect; 20-80 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades filiform; involute; 6-30 cm long; 1-1.5 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open, or contracted; pyramidal, or ovate; (4-)8-18 cm long; with spikelets clustered towards branch tips. Primary panicle branches whorled at most nodes (4-8 whorls). 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; 2.5-4.2 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 2.5-4.2 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; exceeding apex of florets. Lower glume oblong; 2.2-3.5 mm long; 0.75-1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume oblong; 2.5-4.2 mm long; 1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; dark green; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate; 2-4 mm long; membranous; dark green; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 1.7-2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; ellipsoid; 1.7-2 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean.
Reference
Eragrostideae. FTEA.
[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

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • 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 2024. 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 2024. 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