Sporobolus heterolepis

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Prairie dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis - Denver Botanic Gardens - DSC00886.JPG
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Sporobolus
Species:
S. heterolepis
Binomial name
Sporobolus heterolepis

Sporobolus heterolepis, commonly known as prairie dropseed, [1] is a species of prairie grass native to the tallgrass and mixed grass prairies of central North America from Texas to southern Canada. [1] [2] It is also found further east, to the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada, but is much less common beyond the Great Plains and is restricted to specialized habitats. It is found in 27 states and four Canadian provinces. [1]

Contents

Description

Prairie dropseed is a perennial bunchgrass whose mound of leaves is typically from 1 to 2 ft (30 to 60 cm) high and 2 to 3 ft (60 to 90 cm) across. Its flowering stems (culms) grow from 1 12 to 3 ft (45 to 90 cm) tall, extending above the leaves. [3]

The flower cluster is an airy panicle 3 to 8 in (8 to 20 cm) long with many branches. They terminate in small spikelets, which each contain a single fertile floret. When it blooms, the floret has three reddish anthers and a short feathery stigma. [3] If it is pollinated, the floret produces a nearly round seed 1.5 to 2.0 mm (0.06 to 0.08 in) long. [4]

At the base of the spikelet are two bracts (glumes), one of them 4 to 6 mm (0.16 to 0.24 in) long and the other 2 to 4 mm (0.08 to 0.16 in) long. [3] The bracts each are long and tapered, with sharply pointed tips. [4] Around the floret are a lemma and palea, each about 3.5 to 5.5 mm (0.14 to 0.22 in) long, [3] though the palea is sometimes longer than the lemma. [4]

Prairie dropseed is a fine-textured grass with long, narrow leaves that arch outward, forming attractive, round tufts. The leaves range in color from a rich green hue in summer to a golden rust color in the fall. Foliage is resilient enough to resist flattening by snow, so it provides year-round interest. From late July to mid-September, the grass blooms with rusty-tan flowers that rise 30 to 36 in (760 to 910 mm) in height.

It occurs in a wide range of soils, doing well in moist to dry conditions. It is much less common in wetlands.

Ecology

It is a larval host to the Poweshiek skipper. [5]

Uses

The grass is cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens because of its attractive bunchgrass form. Because of its drought tolerance, it has been used on green roofs. The seedhead is sometimes described as having the vague scent of fresh popcorn, cilantro, or sunflower seeds.

Prairie dropseed is also used for roadside revegetation and prairie restoration projects. It is difficult to establish by direct seeding. Transplanting greenhouse-grown seedlings is a more effective method of establishing it.

Native Americans ground the seeds of the grass to make flour, and many species of birds eat the seeds.

Related Research Articles

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<i>Bromus hordeaceus</i>

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<i>Sporobolus</i>

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<i>Bromus secalinus</i>

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<i>Bromus catharticus</i>

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<i>Bromus kalmii</i>

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<i>Melica ciliata</i> Species of plant

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<i>Sporobolus cryptandrus</i>

Sporobolus cryptandrus is a species of grass known as sand dropseed. It is native to North America, where it is widespread in southern Canada, most of the United States, and northern Mexico.

<i>Sporobolus vaginiflorus</i>

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<i>Dalea purpurea</i>

Dalea purpurea is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known as purple prairie clover. Native to central north America, purple prairie clover is a relatively common member of the Great Plains and prairie ecosystems. It blooms in the summer with dense spikes of bright purple flowers that attract many species of insects.

<i>Pleuraphis mutica</i>

Pleuraphis mutica is a species of grass known by the common name tobosa, or tobosa grass. It is native to Northern Mexico, and the Southwestern United States, in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

<i>Muhlenbergia capillaris</i> Species of plant

Muhlenbergia capillaris, commonly known as the hairawn muhly, is a perennial sedge-like plant that grows to be about 30–90 cm (0.98–2.95 ft) tall and 60–90 cm (2.0–3.0 ft) wide. The plant includes a double layer; green, leaf-like structures surround the understory, and purple-pink flowers outgrow them from the bottom up. The plant is a warm-season grass, meaning that leaves begin growth in the summer. During the summer, the leaves stay green, but they morph during the fall to produce a more copper color. The seasonal changes also include the flowers, as they grow out during the fall and stay healthy till the end of autumn. The muhly grows along the border of roads and on plain prairies. The grass clumps into herds, causing bush-like establishments in the area the hairawn muhly inhabits. The flowers are very feathery and add a cloudlike appearance to the top of the grass. It is native to eastern North America and can be used for a multitude of purposes, including ornamental gardening and farming. It was voted 2012 plant of the year by the Garden Club of America.

<i>Sporobolus texanus</i>

Sporobolus texanus is a species of grass known by the common name Texas dropseed. It is native to the western United States.

<i>Bromus latiglumis</i>

Bromus latiglumis, the earlyleaf brome, is a grass native to North America. The specific epithet latiglumis is Latin for "broad-glumed", referring to the wide glumes.

<i>Bromus japonicus</i>

Bromus japonicus, the Japanese brome, is an annual brome grass native to Eurasia. The grass has a diploid number of 14.

<i>Bromus squarrosus</i>

Bromus squarrosus, the rough brome, is a brome grass native to Russia and Europe. The specific epithet squarrosus is Latin, meaning "with spreading tips". The grass has a diploid number of 14.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Sporobolus heterolepis". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA . Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  2. "Sporobolus heterolepis". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Hilty, John (2016). "Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)". Illinois Wildflowers.
  4. 1 2 3 Chayka, Katy; Dziuk, Peter (2016). "Sporobolus heterolepis (prairie dropseed)". Minnesota Wildflowers.
  5. The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.