Poaceae
Sporobolus

Sporobolus confinis (Steud.) Chiov.

First published in Annuario Reale Ist. Bot. Roma 8: 341 (1908 publ. 1907)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is NE. & E. Tropical Africa, SW. Arabian Peninsula. It is a perennial or rhizomatous geophyte and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Rhizomes elongated. Butt sheaths herbaceous; withering. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 30-60 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 5-15 cm long; 2-6 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; 8-15 cm long; with spikelets clustered towards branch tips. 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; 1.6-2.1 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 1.6-2.1 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 lanceolate, or oblong; 0.7-1.2 mm long; 0.6 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 1.2-1.9 mm long; 0.75-0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; dark green; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume surface smooth, or asperulous. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 1.6-2.1 mm long; membranous; dark green; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous. Lemma apex acute. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.9-1.1 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; ellipsoid; 0.7-0.8 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: northeast tropical and east tropical. Asia-temperate: Arabia.
Reference
Eragrostideae. FTEA.
[GB]

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

Morphology General Habit
Strongly rhizomatous perennial, with long slender creeping rhizomes, the basal sheaths neither fibrous nor indurated; culms 30–60 cm. high, erect or geniculately ascending.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades flat, fairly short, 5–15 cm. long, 2–6 mm. wide, the tip filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle narrowly ovate, 8–15 cm. long, secondarily branched, the branches bare for their lower 1/3 and the spikelets in secund clusters at the tips of the branchlets.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 1.6–2.1 mm. long, smooth or scaberulous, dark green; lower glume lanceolate to narrowly oblong, 0.7–1.2 mm. long; upper glume narrowly ovate, 1.2–1.9 mm long, 3/4–4/5 as long as the spikelet; lemma narrowly ovate, as long as the spikelet; anthers 3, 0.9–1.1 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Grain ellipsoid, 0.7–0.8 mm. long.
Habitat
Stony slopes and grassy places in deciduous bushland; 1500–2300 m.
Distribution
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T1 T2
[FTEA]

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

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 1.6–2 mm long; lower glume lanceolate to narrowly oblong, 0.7–1.2 mm long; upper glume narrowly ovate, 3/4–4/5 the length of the spikelet; lemma narrowly ovate, as long as the spikelet; anthers 3, 0.9–1.1 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Grain ellipsoid, 0.7–0.8 mm long.
Distribution
S3 tropical East Africa and Arabia.
Ecology
Altitude c. 50 m.
Note
Known from Somalia from a single incomplete specimen.
Morphology General Habit
Perennial with long slender creeping rhizomes; stems erect or geniculately ascending, up to 60 cm high; basal sheaths neither fibrous nor indurated; leaves 2–6 mm wide
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle narrowly ovate, 8–15 cm long, the primary branches slender, flexuous, bare below, the spikelets secund and clustered at the tips of the branchlets
[FSOM]

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 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

    • 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