Sporobolus ioclados (Nees ex Trin.) Nees

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

Morphology General Habit

Densely caespitose perennial, sometimes short-lived, often with stolons, sometimes with a short oblique rhizome; culms up to 100 cm tall, ascending to erect, usually branched; basal leaf sheaths chartaceous to subcoriaceous, glabrous on the back, pilose near the margins, compressed and flabellate, persistent; leaf laminas 1.5–30 cm × 2–8.5 mm, coarse, flat, folded or involute, glabrous or scaberulous on the surface, the margins cartilaginous, scabrid and sometimes ciliate with tubercle-based hairs.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle 5.5–25 cm long, narrowly ovate to pyramidal; branches, or at least the lowermost, in a succession of whorls but often the upper whorls somewhat irregular, scaberulous, eglandular or with linear glands, the spikelets on short secondary branchlets, these spreading or appressed, confined to the distal part of the primary branches.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 1.4–2.2 mm long, pallid to greyish-green or rarely purplish; inferior glume 1/4–1/2 the length of the spikelet, oblong to ovate (but widely variable even in the same panicle), nerveless, glabrous or minutely hispidulous, obtuse or denticulate to acute at the apex; superior glume (1/2)2/3 as long to as long as the spikelet, ovate, 1-nerved, glabrous or minutely hispidulous, acute at the apex; lemma as long as the spikelet or almost so, similar to the superior glume; anthers 3, 0.9–1.7 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Grain 0.8–1.2 mm long, elliptic, somewhat laterally compressed.

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:2. 1972

Morphology General Habit

Caespitose perennial 30–60 cm. high

Ecology

Seasonally moist, usually alkaline, soils in dry regions.

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

Morphology General Habit

Tussocky perennial, often with creeping stolons, up to 80 cm high; leaves flat or rolled, harsh or soft, often pungent; basal sheaths persistent, chartaceous, often keeled and flabellate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle narrowly ovate to pyramidal, 4–15 cm long; primary branches in whorls (at least the lowermost), bare of spikelets in the lower 1/4–1/3

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 1.5–3(–3.3) mm long; lower glume narrowly ovate to narrowly oblong, 0.5–1 mm long, obtuse; upper glume narrowly ovate to lanceolate, (1/2-)2/3 as long to as long as the spikelet; lemma lanceolate-elliptic, as long as the spikelet or almost so; anthers 3, 0.9–1.4 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Grain ellipsoid, 0.8–1.2 mm long.

Distribution

N1, 2; C1, 2; S1–3 tropical Africa to India and Sri Lanka.

Ecology

Altitude range 15–1600 m.

Vernacular

Iyon-jabi, timo-hwelli, timo-nagodleh, xilfo (Somali).

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

Morphology General Habit

Caespitose perennial, sometimes short-lived, often spreading by means of stolons; culms 15–60 cm. high.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades flat, 2–30 cm. long, 2–5 mm. wide, the margin ± cartilaginous and usually bearing stiff hairs; sheaths of the vegetative shoots often keeled and flabellately interleaved to form compact fascicles.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle ± pyramidal, usually spreading, 3–20 cm. long; primary branches in 4–8 whorls, with side branches 3–15 mm. long from the upper 2/3–3/4, sometimes reddish.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 1.5–2.2 mm. long, smooth or scaberulous, grey-green to pallid, rarely purplish; lower glume oblong, 0.2–0.8 mm. long, 1/4–1/3 as long as the upper, obtuse; upper glume oblong-elliptic, as long as the spikelet; lemma similar to the upper glume; anthers 3, 0.7–1 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Grain ellipsoid, 0.6–1 mm. long.

Habitat

Dry clayey soils, seasonally moist soils and hardpans in deciduous bushland, sometimes on saline soils; sea-level to 2000 m.

Distribution

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 throughout Africa, and in India

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

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

Morphology General Habit

Tussocky perennial, the tufts often connected by stolons; culms 15–80 cm. high.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades flat, rarely rolled, 2–20 cm. long, 2–5 mm. wide, finely ribbed above, stiff, usually with tubercle-based hairs or prickles on the margin near the base.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle narrowly ovate to pyramidal, usually spreading but sometimes ± contracted, 4–15 cm. long; primary branches in 4–7 whorls, usually simple with the spikelets appressed but sometimes branched, bare for the lower 1/4–1/3 of their length.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 1.5–3 mm. long, smooth or scaberulous, pallid grey; lower glume narrowly ovate to narrowly oblong, 0.5–1 mm. long, about 1/3 the length of the spikelet, obtuse; upper glume narrowly ovate to lanceolate, 1.1–2.6 mm. long, 2/3–4/5 as long as the lemma; lemma lanceolate-elliptic, as long as the spikelet; anthers 3, 0.9–1.2 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Grain ellipsoid, 0.8–1.2 mm. long.

Habitat

Saline or alkaline grasslands, usually seasonally waterlogged; seashore sands and sandy patches in mangrove swamps; rarely on stony soils in deciduous bushland; sea-level to 1600 m.

Distribution

Somali Republic to Rhodesia K3 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T6 T7

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

Morphology General Habit

Densely caespitose perennial; culms 25–70 cm. high; basal sheaths somewhat cartilaginous, but not strongly indurated.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades filiform or involute, 3–14 cm. long, up to 3 mm. wide when flattened but usually less, stiff.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle pyramidal, 4–16 cm. long; primary branches in 4–8 whorls, the spikelets closely appressed along the upper 2/3–3/4 of their length.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 1.7–2.7 mm. long, glabrous, grey-green; lower glume lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, 0.6–1.4 mm. long, 1/3–1/2 as long as the spikelet (rarely 1/4–3/4); upper glume lanceolate-elliptic to ovate, usually as long as the spikelet; lemma similar to the upper glume but a little shorter; anthers 3, 1.2–1.5 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Grain ellipsoid, 1.2–1.4 mm. long.

Habitat

Margins of salt lakes and in overgrazed deciduous bushland on saline soils; 700–2000 m.

Distribution

K1 K3 K6 T1 T2 T3 T4/T7 U2 U3