Poaceae
Sporobolus

Sporobolus aculeatus (L.) P.M.Peterson

First published in Taxon 63: 1234 (2014)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Central Europe to N. Korea and Sahara. It is an annual and grows primarily in the temperate 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]

Morphology General Habit
Annual; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 1-30 cm long. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 1-5 cm long; 3.5 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface pilose; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle; subtended by sheathless blades (2 blades); embraced at base by subtending leaf, or enclosed. Panicle capitate; corymbose; 0.5-1 cm long. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with lateral stumps on axis. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 3-4.5 mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 3-4.5 mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.5-3 mm long; 0.75-0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein ciliolate. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 3-3.5 mm long; 0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein ciliolate. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate; laterally compressed; 3.5-4.5 mm long; membranous; keeled; 1 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 0-1 -veined.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules absent. Anthers 2; 0.8-1 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; oblong, or obovoid; 2 mm long; apex unappendaged.
Distribution
Europe: central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north and south. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, China, Mongolia, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India.
Reference
Eragrostideae. Fl Turk 1993.
[GB]

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