Poaceae
Sporobolus

Sporobolus cynosuroides (L.) P.M.Peterson & Saarela

First published in Taxon 63: 1236 (2014)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is E. U.S.A. It is a perennial 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
Perennial; culms solitary. Rhizomes elongated; scaly. Culms erect; 200-350 cm long. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 1-3 mm long. Leaf-blades 8-15 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes few, or numerous; 5-67; borne along a central axis; spreading; unilateral; 6-15 cm long; bearing 10-70 fertile spikelets on each. Central inflorescence axis 15-40 cm long. Rhachis angular; smooth on margins, or scabrous on margins; glabrous on margins; terminating in a spikelet. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; regular; 2 -rowed. Spikelets pectinate; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 9-14 mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 9-14 mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets. Lower glume linear; 3-7 mm long; 0.25-0.33 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein ciliolate. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume margins ciliolate. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 9-10 mm long; 1.3 length of adjacent fertile lemma; herbaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein ciliolate. Upper glume lateral veins prominent. Upper glume surface glabrous, or puberulous. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma oblong; 7-11 mm long; herbaceous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliolate. Lemma surface glabrous, or puberulous; hairy all along, or above. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 2 -veined.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 4-6 mm long.
Distribution
North America: western Canada, northeast USA, south-central USA, and southeast USA.
Reference
Cynodonteae. Mobberley 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