Poaceae
Sporobolus

Sporobolus pellucidus Hochst.

First published in Flora 38: 201 (1855)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Niger to Ethiopia and Namibia, Arabian Peninsula. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 20-75 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades convolute; 4-15 cm long; 1-2 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; lanceolate; 6-20 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 1-2 cm long; bearing spikelets almost to the base. 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; 1.7-2(-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; 1.7-2(-2.2) mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong, or ovate; 0.7-0.8 mm long; 0.5-0.7 length of upper glume; hyaline; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume ovate; 1-1.5 mm long; (0.5-)0.66-0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; dark green, or grey; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 1.7-2(-2.2) mm long; membranous; dark green, or grey; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.8-0.9 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; ellipsoid, or obovoid; 0.6-0.8 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: west tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: Arabia.
Reference
Eragrostideae. FTEA.
[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]

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

Morphology General Habit
Densely caespitose perennial, the base of the culms invested in the fibrous remains of old leaf-sheaths; culms 20–75 cm. high.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades convolute, 4–15 cm. long, 1–2 mm. wide, filiform at the tip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle narrowly lanceolate, 6–20 cm. long; primary branches spreading or ascending, subsecund, densely spiculate from the base, up to 1–2 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 1.7–2(–2.2) mm. long, grey-green to dark green; lower glume oblong and obtuse to ovate and acute, 0.7–0.8 mm. long, hyaline; upper glume narrowly ovate, 1–1.5 mm. long, (1/2–)2/3–3/4 as long as the spikelet, acute; lemma ovate-elliptic, as long as the spikelet, acute; anthers 3, 0.8–0.9 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Grain obovoid to ellipsoid, 0.6–0.8 mm. long.
Habitat
Open places in deciduous bushland, mainly on stony soils or compacted clay; 750–2500 m.
Distribution
Niger Republic and Ethiopia to Zambia K1 K3 K4 K6 K7 T1 T2 U1
[FTEA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Densely tufted perennial up to 75 cm high; basal sheaths disintegrating into a cushion of fibres
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle narrowly lanceolate, 6–20 cm long, the primary branches 1–2 cm long, spreading or ascending, subsecund, branched from the base, the branchlets densely spiculate from the base
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 1.7–2(–2.2) mm long; lower glume oblong and obtuse to ovate and acute, 0.5–0.7 mm long; upper glume narrowly ovate, acute, 1/2–3/4 the length of the spikelet; lemma ovate-elliptic, acute, as long as the spikelet; anthers 3, 0.8–0.9 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Grain obovoid to ellipsoid, 0.6–0.8 mm long.
Distribution
N1, 2; C2; S1–3 tropical Africa; Arabia
Ecology
Altitude range 50–1800 m.
Vernacular
Garogaro, ramass (Somali).
[FSOM]

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

Morphology General Habit
Perennial about 60 cm. high.
[FWTA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • 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