Sporobolus indicus (L.) R.Br.

Smut grass (en), Sporobole tenace (fr), Sporobole des Indes (fr), Sporobole fertile (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Poales > Poaceae > Sporobolus

Characteristics

Erect, tufted, unbranched perennial 3–10 dm; lvs crowded toward the base, 15–25+ cm × 3–5 mm, tapering to a filiform point; infl 1–4 dm × 0.5–1 cm, dense and spike-like; spikelets numerous, small, crowded, the first glume 0.4–0.9 mm, the second 0.8–1.3 mm; lemma 1.4–2 mm, about equaling the palea; 2n=18, 24, 36. A weed of wet open soil, roadsides and ditchbanks; native of trop. Asia, naturalized in trop Amer., and extending n. to Ark., Ky., Va., and sometimes N.J. (S. poiretii)
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Perennial; culms slender, in large dense clumps about 1 m. high; blades narrow, elongate, attenuate to a fine point, usually flexuous, flat or becoming loosely rolled; panicles 15-30 cm. long, attenuate toward the tip, the slender branches ascending or spreading; spikelets 1.6-1.8 mm. long, short-pedicellate, subsecund on the under side of the branches; glumes subequal, obtuse, 0.3-0.5 mm. long.
A grass that keeps growing from year to year. The stalks are erect. It grows 30-90 cm high. The leaf blades are slender and 25 cm long. They are 1-3 mm wide. The flowers are in dense spike-like groups. These are 1-4 cm long.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination anemogamy
Spread barochory
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.75 - 0.9
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c4

Environment

Found in poor dry soils in Australia. Waste places, roadsides etc in the Philippines. Savannahs, dry hills, fields and waste places in Panama.
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Found in poor dry soils in Australia. Waste places, roadsides etc in the Philippines. Savannahs, dry hills, fields and waste places in Panama.
It is a tropical and subtropical plant. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 3,000 m above sea level.
Light 7-9
Soil humidity 1-6
Soil texture 3-6
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 7-10

Usage

Uses animal food fiber material medicinal
Edible seeds
Therapeutic use Antifertility (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by divisions or seedlings.
Mode divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Sporobolus indicus habit picture by Trap Hers (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Sporobolus indicus leaf picture by paolo sandrucci (cc-by-sa)
Sporobolus indicus leaf picture by Kadir Korkmaz (cc-by-sa)
Sporobolus indicus leaf picture by randovu (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Sporobolus indicus flower picture by Perdina Hadyan (cc-by-sa)
Sporobolus indicus flower picture by ines (cc-by-sa)
Sporobolus indicus flower picture by mike (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Sporobolus indicus fruit picture by Trap Hers (cc-by-sa)
Sporobolus indicus fruit picture by Angélique Villemain (cc-by-sa)
Sporobolus indicus fruit picture by Anne Maugé (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Sporobolus indicus world distribution map, present in Åland Islands, Austria, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, Spain, Fiji, France, Micronesia (Federated States of), Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Italy, Jamaica, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Morocco, Moldova (Republic of), Madagascar, Myanmar, Mauritius, Norfolk Island, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Palau, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Paraguay, Réunion, Thailand, Uruguay, United States of America, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), and Viet Nam

Conservation status

Sporobolus indicus threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1207790-2
WFO ID wfo-0000901192
COL ID 4ZCL7
BDTFX ID 65836
INPN ID 124719
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Agrostis elongata Agrostis orientalis Sporobolus lamarckii Sporobolus tenacissimus Vilfa angusta Vilfa elongata Vilfa exilis Vilfa indica Vilfa tenacissima Agrostis indica Paspalum lanceifolium Sporobolus berteroanus Sporobolus orientalis Vilfa berteroana Vilfa orientalis Paspalum parviflorum Sporobolus exilis Agrostis tenacissima Agrostis tenuissima Sporobolus indicus f. indicus Sporobolus angustus Andropogon intortus Sporobolus indicus var. andinus Sporobolus indicus var. exilis Sporobolus indicus var. tenacissimus Vilfa tenacissima var. exilis Sporobolus indicus f. africanoides Sporobolus indicus f. microspiculus Sporobolus indicus var. indicus Sporobolus indicus subsp. indicus Sporobolus indicus