Poaceae
Sporobolus

Sporobolus contiguus S.T.Blake

First published in Pap. Dept. Biol. Univ. Queensland 1(18): 6 (1941)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is E. Australia. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Glands elongated. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 30-70 cm long; 2-4 -noded. Culm-internodes channelled; smooth. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths keeled; scaberulous; glabrous on surface; outer margin glabrous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.7 mm long. Leaf-blades flexuous; 8-17 cm long; 2-4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface papillose; rough adaxially, or on both sides; glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; spinulose. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; 10-22 cm long; contracted about secondary branches. Primary panicle branches spreading; 2-3 -nate; whorled at lower nodes; 7-14 cm long. Panicle axis glandular; smooth. Panicle branches stiff; smooth. Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile, or pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; subterete; 1.5-1.7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; subterete; 1.5-1.7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; reaching apex of florets. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.7 mm long; 0.33-0.5 length of upper glume; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface puberulous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 1.4-1.6 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; hyaline; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface puberulous. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma oblong; 1.5-1.7 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma midvein scaberulous. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea readily splitting down midline; 1.3-1.4 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate. Palea surface scabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.35-0.4 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; ellipsoid, or obovoid; laterally compressed; 0.65-0.9 mm long; obtuse.
Distribution
Australasia: Australia.
Reference
Eragrostideae. Blake 1994.
[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 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