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Grass Gallery
Poaceae, Chloridoideae, Eragrostideae - Dropseed (open)
(Family, Subfamily, Tribe)
tribe Eragrostideae
Alkali Sacaton Sporobolus airoides
Big panicle,1-2 feet tall, partially whirled. Leaves are not droopy. Tolerant of modest grazing. Intolerant of shade. Likes seasonally wet, alkaline soil. Settlers used the grass as an indicator of water within feet of the surface. Seeds are edible. Seeds stay viable for many years.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, August 2005
(Native of Texas - not in my area)
Base: Perennial, clump grass, no rhizomes, no stolons (runner stem)
Blade (leaf): 15-45cm long, 2-6mm wide, flat but rolling inward as it dries
Sheath: round, glabrous, few long white hairs at collar up to 4mm long, ligule has short hairs
Culm (main grain stem): erect, glabrous, 50-150cm tall, 1-2(-3.5)mm wide at base
Inflorescence: usually open panicle, subpyramidal, 20-45cm long, 15-25cm wide
Secondary Branch: spreading, slightly wavy, naked at base
Spikelet: 1.3-2.5(-2.8)mm long, 0.5-2mm long spreading pedicel, purple to greenish
Glume: first is 0.4-1.8(-2)mm long, second 1-2.2(-2.8)mm long
Lemma: same as second glume
Similar Species
Big Sacaton (Wright's Dropseed) Sporobolus wrightii (Sporobolus airoides var. wrightii)
The largest of the Genus. Big clump grass, 3 foot wide at base. Long droopy leaves. Open panicle, not whirled, yellow, with dense spikelets. Culms grows to 7 feet tall. Used as an ornamental.
(Native of Texas - not in my area)
Base: Perennial, clump grass, no rhizomes, no stolons (runner stem)
Blade (leaf): 20-70cm long, 3-6(-10)mm wide, flat but rolling inward as it dries
Sheath: round, glabrous, few long white hairs at collar, ligule is furry
Culm (main grain stem): erect, 90-250cm tall, 2-9mm wide at base
Inflorescence: open panicle, 20-60cm long, 12-26cm wide
Secondary Branch: appressed overlapping spikelets for most of the length
Spikelet: 1.5-2.1mm long, 0.5mm long pedicel, tawny-color
Glume: first is 0.5-1mm long, second 0.8-1.8mm long
Lemma: blunt, 1.2-2.1mm long
tribe Eragrostideae
? Dropseed **zg 8** Sporobolus sp.
Small clump with partially whirled inflorescence.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, September 2007
(Cultivated, native of ?)
Base: Perennial, clump grass, no rhizomes, no stolons (runner stem)
Blade (leaf): 22cm long, 6mm wide, not droopy, glabrous, flat but rolling inward as it dries, tapered to a sharp point
Sheath: slightly flattened, ribbed, shorter than internodes, ligule is a fringe of long white hairs
Culm (main grain stem): erect, 60cm tall, 3-4mm wide at base, slightly flattened, purple nodes
Inflorescence: open pyramidal panicle, terminal, 25cm long, rebranching, stiffly erect
Branch: mostly single but occasional whirled nodes, slightly wavy
Secondary Branch: spreading, naked for the first 1/3, appressed spikelets overlap, short rebranching is spreading
Spikelet: 5mm long, short pedicel or none
Glume: first is 3.5mm long, second 5mm long and very pointed, purple tinted
Lemma: greenish with purple spots, 4.5mm long
Hunting Similar Species
Whorled Dropseed (Madagascar Dropseed) Sporobolus pyramidatus (Sporobolus coromandelianus)
Culm grows to about 24" long. Leaves mostly basal with hairy margins. Ligule is a fringe of short hairs. Leaves up to 7 1/2" long, 1/8" wide. Panicle 5" long, whirled branches, not rebranched.
(Native of Texas - Taylor)
Base: Perennial, clump grass, no rhizomes, no stolons (runner stem)
Blade (leaf): mostly basal, 3-12(-20)cm long, 2-4mm wide, lower margins hairy, sparse bristly hairs on back
Sheath: glabrous, shorter than internodes, long white hairs at collar
Culm (main grain stem): erect, 10-50cm tall, glabrous, branching only near base
Inflorescence: open pyramidal panicle, 3-15cm long, lower branches whirled, no rebranching
Spikelet: 1.5-2mm long, scruffy
Glume: first is 0.3-0.8mm long, second 1.2-2mm long
Lemma: separated points, 1.2-2mm long
tribe Eragrostideae
Sand Dropseed (Covered-spike Dropseed) Sporobolus cryptandrus
Inflorescence color is metallic mauve. Often panicle never leaves the sheath, but then opens, not whirled. Inflated sheath. Hairy ligule.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, September 2007
(Native of Texas - Taylor and most of Texas)
Base: Perennial, clump grass, no rhizomes, no stolons (runner stem)
Blade (leaf): 8-25cm long, 2-5mm wide, mostly glabrous, flat but rolling inward as it dries
Sheath: round, tufts of long white hair 2-4mm long at collar, hairy upper margins, tiny ligule
Culm (main grain stem): erect, 35-120cm tall, 1-3.5mm wide at base
Inflorescence: open panicle but sometimes not leaving sheath, 15-30(-40)cm long, 2-12(-15)cm wide, rebranching, stiffly erect
Branch: one per node, can be appressed or spreading, covered in spikelets or mostly naked
Secondary Branch: appressed to primary branch
Spikelet: 1.5-2.3(-2.8)mm long, very short pedicel, can be brown purple or lead-colored
Glume: first as long as second, second same length as lemma
Lemma: same length as spikelet
Similar Species
Mesa Dropseed Sporobolus flexuosus
Similar to Sporobolus cryptandrus except the scruffy panicle is droopy, always open.
(Native of Texas - Nolan)
Base: Perennial, clump grass, no rhizomes, no stolons (runner stem)
Blade (leaf): 8-25cm long, 2-5mm wide, mostly glabrous, flat but rolling inward as it dries
Sheath: round, tufts of long white hair 1-1.5mm long at collar, hairy upper margins, tiny ligule
Culm (main grain stem): erect, 35-120cm tall, 1-3.5mm wide at base
Inflorescence: somewhat droopy open panicle always open, 10-30(-40)cm long, 4-9cm wide, scruffy as the branch lengths are the same top to bottom, rebranching
Branch: widely spreading, hairy swollen end at node, loosely spaced spikelets
Spikelet: 1.9-2.5mm long, short pedicel can be spreading or appressed, lead-colored
Glume: first is 1-1.3mm long, second 0.9-2.5mm long
Lemma: equal to or slightly shorter than second glume
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