GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Sporobolus scabridus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations extravaginal. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 20–60 cm long; 3–4 -noded. Culm-internodes scaberulous. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaf-sheaths keeled; scaberulous; glabrous on surface; outer margin glabrous, or hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs bearded. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.8 mm long. Collar glabrous. Leaf-blades straight; 6–13.5 cm long; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough on both sides; glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 4–14 cm long; contracted about secondary branches. Primary panicle branches 2–4 -nate; whorled at lower nodes; 3–7 cm long. Panicle axis eglandular; scabrous. Panicle branches stiff; scaberulous.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile, or pedicelled. Pedicels 0–0.8 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 1.1–1.4 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; reaching apex of florets. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.5–0.7 mm long; 0.4–0.5 length of upper glume; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 1.1–1.4 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; hyaline; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface puberulous. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 1.1–1.4 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous, or puberulous. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea readily splitting down midline; 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.3–0.35 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; obovoid; laterally compressed; 0.55–0.6 mm long; truncate.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Blake 1994.

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