Poaceae
Sporobolus

Sporobolus pectinellus Mez

First published in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 17: 295 (1921)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tropical Africa to Ethiopia and Tanzania. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Annual, growing in tufts; culms 10–45 cm. high.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades 1–8 cm. long, 1–3 mm. wide, flat or convolute, rather stiff.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle ovate-oblong, 3–18 cm. long, very delicate and diffuse, the branches and pedicels capillary.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 0.8–1.2(–2) mm. long; lower glume oblong, 0.1–0.6 mm. long, truncate; upper glume ovate-oblong, 0.4–0.8 mm. long, cuspidate-acuminate, the single nerve excurrent; lemma ovate, as long as the spikelet, acute; anthers 3, 0.5–0.6 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Grain ellipsoid, 0.6 mm. long.
Habitat
Stony soils and rock outcrops; ± 1200 m.
Distribution
T1 U1 U2 U3 mainly W. Africa, extending to the Sudan and the northern borders of Zaire
[FTEA]

Morphology General Habit
Annual; caespitose. Culms erect; 10-45 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 1-8 cm long; 1-3 mm wide; stiff.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; effuse; 3-18 cm long. Panicle branches capillary; glabrous in axils. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 0.8-1.2(-2) mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 0.8-1.2(-2) 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 oblong; 0.1-0.6 mm long; 0.25-0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume oblong, or ovate; 0.4-0.8 mm long; 0.5-0.7 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex cuspidate; mucronate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 0.8-1.2(-2) mm long; membranous; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.5-0.6 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; ellipsoid; 0.6 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, and east tropical.
Reference
Eragrostideae. FTEA.
[GB]

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

Morphology General Habit
Delicate annual about 30 cm. high
Ecology
Shallow soils.
[FWTA]

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 Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical 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

    • '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