Sporobolus heterolepis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; slender; 30–70 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths without keel; smooth, or antrorsely scabrous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking to ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.1–0.3 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate, or involute; 12–30 cm long; 1–2 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; elliptic, or pyramidal; 5–20 cm long; 2–4 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 1–3 -nate.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 4–6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; exceeding apex of florets; shiny. Lower glume linear; 0.66–0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume ovate; 3.5–5 mm long; 1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; grey; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acuminate to setaceously attenuate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 3.2–4.8 mm long; membranous; grey; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1.1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp; orbicular; isodiametric (globose); 1.5–1.8 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION North America: western Canada, eastern Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, south-central USA, and southeast USA.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Gr Tex 1993.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.