Sporobolus

Sporobolus
Sporobolus
Sporobolus virginicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Chloridoideae
Tribe: Zoysieae
Genus: Sporobolus
R.Br.[1]
Species

Many, see text
Synonyms

Agrosticula Raddi
Bauchea E. Fourn.
Bennetia Raf.
Cryptostachys Steud.
Diachyrium Griseb.
Spermachiton Llanos
Spermatochiton Pilg., orth. var.
Triachyrum Hochst.[1]

Sporobolus is a genus of grasses in the family Poaceae. They are usually called dropseed grasses[2] or sacaton grasses. They are typical prairie and savanna plants, and they occur in other types of open habitat in warmer climates.

Contents

Uses and ecology

While some dropseed grasses make nice gardening plants, they are generally considered to make inferior pastures. On the other hand, seeds of at least some species are edible and nutritious; they were used as food for example by the Chiricahua Apaches. Other species are reported to be used as famine foods, such as Sporobolus indicus in parts of the Oromia Region of Ethiopia, where it is known as muriy in Oromiffa.[3]

Known as popote de cambray, Sporobolus is used in popotillo art or straw mosaics, a Mexican folk art with Pre-Columbian origins.[4]

Caterpillars of the small moth Bucculatrix sporobolella have only been found on Alkali Sacaton (Sporobolus airoides). The Laysan Dropseed Noctuid Moth (Hypena laysanensis) on Laysan Island apparently became extinct with the local eradication of S. virginicus by feral rabbits. Seed-eating birds including American sparrows (genus Aimophila) feed on sacaton seeds. S. wrightii is a critical resource for the Botteri's Sparrow (Aimophila botterii) which at one time was extirpated from Arizona.

At least one species (S. caespitosus from Saint Helena) is threatened with extinction, and another (S. durus from Ascension Island) is extinct.

Selected species

Giant Parramatta Grass (Sporobolus fertilis)
Madagascar Dropseed (Sporobolus pyramidatus)
  • Sporobolus actinocladus (F.Muell.) F.Muell.
  • Sporobolus africanus (Poir.) Robyns & Tournay – Rat's-tail Grass
  • Sporobolus airoides (Torr.) Torr. – Alkali Sacaton
  • Sporobolus argutas Kunth
  • Sporobolus caespitosus Kunth
  • Sporobolus compositus (Poir.) Merr. (= S. asper) – Tall Dropseed, Meadow Dropseed, Rough Dropseed
  • Sporobolus contractus Hitchc.
  • Sporobolus cryptandrus (Torr.) A.Gray – Sand Dropseed
  • Sporobolus cubensis Hitchc. – Cuban Dropseed
  • Sporobolus domingensis
  • Sporobolus durus Brongn. (extinct)
  • Sporobolus elongatus R.Br.
  • Sporobolus fertilis (Steud.) Clayton
  • Sporobolus flexuosus (Thurb. ex Vasey) Rydb. – Mesa Dropseed
  • Sporobolus fourcadei Stent
  • Sporobolus heterolepis (A.Gray) A.Gray – Prairie Dropseed, Northern Dropseed
  • Sporobolus indicus (L.) R.Br. – Smutgrass, Wiregrass
    • Sporobolus indicus var. flaccidus (Roem. & Schult.) Veldkamp (= Sporobolus diander)
    • Sporobolus indicus var. indicus
    • Sporobolus indicus var. major (Büse) Baaijens
    • Sporobolus indicus var. pyramidalis (P.Beauv.) Veldkamp
  • Sporobolus jacquemontii Kunth (= S. pyramidalis P.Beauv.) – Giant Rat's-tail Grass
  • Sporobolus marginatus Hochst. ex A.Rich.
  • Sporobolus neglectus Nash – Small Dropseed
  • Sporobolus pulchellus R.Br.
  • Sporobolus pyramidatus (Lam.) A.S.Hitchc. – Madagascar Dropseed
  • Sporobolus rigens (Tr.) Desv.
  • Sporobolus spicatus Kunth
  • Sporobolus stapfianus[5]
  • Sporobolus tenuissimus (Mart. ex Schrank) Kuntze – Tropical Dropseed
  • Sporobolus vaginiflorus (Torr. ex A.Gray) Alph.Wood – Sheathed Dropseed, Poverty Grass
  • Sporobolus virginicus (L.) Kunth. – Seashore Dropseed
  • Sporobolus wrightii Munro ex Scribn. – Giant Sacaton[2][6]

Formerly placed here

  • Muhlenbergia arenacea (Buckley) Hitchc. (as S. arenaceus Buckley)
  • Muhlenbergia fastigiata (J.Presl) Henrard (as S. fastigiatus J.Presl)

References

  1. ^ a b "Genus: Sporobolus R. Br.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2011-02-27. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?11433. Retrieved 2011-02-28. 
  2. ^ a b "Sporobolus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=42115. Retrieved 2011-02-28. 
  3. ^ Dechassa Lemessa, "Prosperity Fades - Jimma and Illubabor Zones of Oromiya Region", UN-EUE Field Report, November 1999 (accessed 15 May 2009)
  4. ^ "Papel Picado, Papel Amate, and Popotillo." Festival of Mexico. (retrieved 9 Jan 2010)
  5. ^ Bussmann, R. W., et al. (2006). Plant use of the Maasai of Sekenani Valley, Maasai Mara, Kenya. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 2 22.
  6. ^ "GRIN Species Records of Sporobolus". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?11433. Retrieved 2011-02-28. 
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