Sporobolus

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dropseed
File:Starr 090205-2349 Sporobolus virginicus.jpg
Sporobolus virginicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Monocots
(unranked):
Commelinids
Order:
Poales
Family:
Poaceae
Subfamily:
Chloridoideae
Tribe:
Zoysieae
Genus:
Sporobolus
Type species
Sporobolus indicus
Synonyms[4]

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File:Sporobolus fertilis nezuminoo.jpg
giant Parramatta grass (Sporobolus fertilis)
File:Starr 040711-0055 Sporobolus pyramidatus.jpg
Madagascar dropseed (Sporobolus pyramidatus)

Sporobolus is a nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family.[5][3][6][7][8]

The name is derived from the Greek words σπόρος (sporos), meaning "seed", and βόλος (bolos), meaning "throw", referring to the dispersion of seeds.[9] Members of the genus are usually called dropseeds[10] or sacaton grasses. They are typical prairie and savanna plants, occurring in other types of open habitat in warmer climates. At least one species (S. caespitosus from Saint Helena) is threatened with extinction, and another (S. durus from Ascension Island) is extinct.

Uses

While some dropseed grasses make nice gardening plants[citation needed], they are generally considered[who?] to make inferior pastures[citation needed]. 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.[11]

Known as popote de cambray, Sporobolus grasses are used in popotillo art or straw mosaics, a Mexican folk art with Pre-Columbian origins.[12]

Ecology

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.

Species[4]

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3
formerly included[4]

numerous species now considered better suited to other genera: Agrostis Arctagrostis Blepharoneuron Eragrostis Mosdenia Muhlenbergia Poa Sacciolepis Thysanolaena Urochondra

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ lectotype designated by L.K.G. Pfeiffer, Nom. Bot. 2:1274 (1874)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tropicos, Sporobolus R. Br.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  5. ↑ Brown, Robert. 1810. Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae 169-170 in Latin
  6. ↑ Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 482 鼠尾粟属 shu wei su shu Sporobolus R. Brown, Prodr. 169. 1810.
  7. ↑ Altervista Flora Italiana genere Sporobolus included photos and distribution maps for several species
  8. ↑ Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution maps
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Dechassa Lemessa, "Prosperity Fades - Jimma and Illubabor Zones of Oromiya Region", UN-EUE Field Report, November 1999 (accessed 15 May 2009)
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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