Poaceae
Sporobolus

Sporobolus nitens Stent

First published in Bothalia 1: 281 (1924)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Tropical & S. Africa. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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]

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

Morphology General Habit
Caespitose perennial with short oblique rhizome; culms up to 40 cm tall, erect or ascending, unbranched or rarely branched below; basal leaf sheaths coriaceous with membranous margins, smooth and glossy, finely silky-pilose near the margins, otherwise glabrous, laterally compressed, persistent; leaf laminas 3–11 cm × 2–7 mm, firm, flat with conspicuously undulate margins, tuberculate-pilose above especially near the base, coarsely pectinate-scabrid on the margins, subacute to acute at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle 5–11.5 cm long, narrowly pyramidal to pyramidal; branches in a single whorl at the base, otherwise single or paired, smooth, with scattered elongated viscid glandular patches, the spikelets in spiciform clusters in the distal 1/2–1/3 of the primary branches.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets (1.2)1.5–1.7 mm long, greyish-green; inferior glume 2/5–1/2 the length of the spikelet, lanceolate, nerveless, glabrous, subacute to acute at the apex; superior glume 3/4 as long to almost as long as the spikelet, ovate, 1-nerved, scabrid on and near the nerve, otherwise smooth, glabrous and glossy, acuminate to subcaudate at the apex; lemma as long as the spikelet, ovate-acuminate, glabrous; anthers 3, 0.3–0.4 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Grain squarish, 0.5–0.8 mm long, lightly laterally compressed.
[FZ]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Rhizomes short. Stolons present. Culms 19-52 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 3.5-9 cm long; 4-8 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; undulate; scabrous; glabrous, or ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; pyramidal; 6-14 cm long; contracted about primary branches and with spikelets clustered towards branch tips. Primary panicle branches whorled at lower nodes. 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; 1.2-1.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 1.2-1.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; reaching apex of florets; similar to fertile lemma in texture; shiny. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.33 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; hyaline; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein conspicuous; scabrous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 1.2-1.5 mm long; membranous; shiny; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with free soft pericarp.
Distribution
Africa: southern tropical and south.
Reference
Eragrostideae. Gr S Afr 1993.
[GB]

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

  • 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