Poaceae
Sporobolus

Sporobolus purpurascens (Sw.) Ham.

First published in Prodr. Pl. Ind. Occid.: 5 (1825)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Texas to Central America, Caribbean, Brazil. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 1000 - 3500 m.; Andes.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 11-31 cm long; 1 mm diam. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.7-0.8 mm long. Leaf-blades 4-19 cm long; 3-5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins tuberculate-ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle spiciform; linear; 6-12 cm long; 0.3-0.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed; whorled at most nodes; 0.5-1 cm long. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 2.9-3.3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 2.9-3.3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; reaching apex of florets. Lower glume lanceolate; 1-2 mm long; 0.33-0.66 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 2.7-3.3 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; grey, or purple; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 2.7-2.9 mm long; membranous; grey, or purple; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea readily splitting down midline; 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 1.1-1.4 mm long; pallid, or purple.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; ellipsoid; laterally compressed; 1.6-1.8 mm long.
Distribution
North America: south-central USA and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, western South America, and Brazil.
Reference
Eragrostideae. Gr Tex 1993.
[GB]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 1000–3500 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Bogotá DC, Boyacá, Cauca, Cundinamarca, Huila, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Tolima, Valle del Cauca.
Habit
Herb.
[UPFC]

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

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • 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

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

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