Sporobolus compositus (Poir.) Merr. var. compositus
rough dropseed (composite dropseed)
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
rough dropseed (composite dropseed)
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
Map
Distribution of Sporobolus compositus var. compositus
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Species Information
General:
Perennial, strongly tufted grass from fibrous roots; stems nearly or quite solid, longitudinally grooved, smooth, usually 60-100 cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths open, smooth or soft-hairy; blades usually in-rolled, tough, 1-4 mm wide, mostly soft-hairy above, especially near the ligules, the collars smooth or slightly hairy near the margins; ligules scarcely 0.5 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a narrow, spikelike panicle, up to 15 cm long, usually at least partially enclosed in the sheath, the branches erect; spikelets 1-flowered, strongly flattened; glumes blunt, the lower ones 2.5-3 mm long, the upper ones about 1 mm longer; lemmas blunt, smooth, 4-5 mm long, paleas nearly equal to the lemmas; lodicules fan-shaped, about 0.5 mm long; anthers 1.5-2.5 mm long.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Summer
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall
Source: The USDA
Habitat and Range
Mesic to dry grasslands and shrublands in the steppe zone; rare in SC and SE BC; E to PQ, NB and NS and S to ME, MA, PA, NC, GA, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, AZ, ID and WA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Sporobolus asper (P. Beauv.) Kunth
Sporobolus asper var. hookeri (Trin.) Vasey