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Poaceae, Chloridoideae, Eragrostideae - Dropseed (open)

(Family, Subfamily, Tribe)

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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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