Poaceae
Sporobolus

Sporobolus alopecuroides (Piller & Mitterp.) P.M.Peterson

First published in Taxon 63: 1234 (2014)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Central Europe, Medit. to W. & Central Asia. 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. Culms geniculately ascending; 2-35 cm long. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 8-10 cm long; 0.5-3 mm wide; mid-green to glaucous. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle spiciform; linear; 0.5-7.5 cm long; 0.3-0.6 cm wide. 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; 2-2.5 mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 2-2.5 mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 1.5-2.2 mm long; 0.8-1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein ciliolate. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 1.8-2.2 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 obtuse, or acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; laterally compressed; 2-2.5 mm long; membranous; keeled; 1 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1-1.5 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea apex obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 0.6-1 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; ellipsoid; 1-1.2 mm long; apex unappendaged.
Distribution
Europe: central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, and western Asia. North America: northwest USA.
Reference
Eragrostideae. Fl Turk 1993.
[GB]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/164139/42317827

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

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/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images