Poaceae
Sporobolus

Sporobolus maximus Hauman

First published in Physis (Buenos Aires) 5: 52 (1921)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is NW. Argentina. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Culms 300 cm long; 6-7 mm diam. Culm-nodes flush with internodes; glabrous. Leaf-sheaths tight; 35 cm long; wider than blade at the collar; striately veined; glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 100-150 cm long; 5 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or hirsute; hairy adaxially.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; lanceolate; dense; 40-70 cm long; 4-5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed; 4-6 cm long. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; subterete; 2-2.5 mm long; 0.75 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; subterete; 2-2.5 mm long; 0.75 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume elliptic; 0.5 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma elliptic; 2-2.5 mm long; membranous; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 1 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; orbicular; 1.3 mm long. Embryo 0.5 length of caryopsis.
Distribution
South America: Brazil and southern South America.
Reference
Eragrostideae. Parodi 1995.
[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: threatened. Confidence: low confidence
[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