Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Sporobolus heterolepis
FAMILY
Poaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Sporobolus from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sporobolus heterolepis
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 25 (2003)
Sporobolus heterolepis
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-44-004:
Sporobolus heterolepis FAMILY Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Sporobolus heterolepis
COMMON NAME:
Prairie Dropseed
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_sphe_001_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Hitchcock, A.S. (rev. A. Chase). 1950 pnd_sphe_002_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm060429_142
April Clay County NC
Nantahala National Forest: Tusquitee Ranger District
)
JK Marlow jkm060429_152
April Clay County NC
Nantahala National Forest: Tusquitee Ranger District
Its primary distribution is in the Plains, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm081110_050
November Buncombe County NC
NC Arboretum
)
JK Marlow jkm081110_056
November Buncombe County NC
NC Arboretum
)
JK Marlow jkm081110_059
November Buncombe County NC
NC Arboretum
The plant has an odor of movie theater buttered popcorn, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
)
JK Marlow jkm081110_061
November Buncombe County NC
NC Arboretum
Panicle open, branches ascending and primarily alternate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
COMPARE
seedheads of Sporobolus species
)
JK Marlow jkm081110_073b
November Buncombe County NC
NC Arboretum
Grain spherical, per Weakley's Flora.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Sporobolus heterolepis
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sporobolus heterolepis
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 25
Sporobolus heterolepis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-44-004:
Sporobolus heterolepis
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Sporobolus heterolepis
2067
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Habitat: barrens, glades, and prairies over mafic, ultramafic, and calcareous rocks (olivine, serpentine, limestone), per Weakley's Flora
Native to North Carolina & Georgia
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal & low alternate, 2-ranked
RHIZOMES? STOLONS?
Cespitose [growing in dense tufts, clumping]
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Panicle dark green, spikelets dark
Inflorescence a panicle
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Spikelets dark
Utricle
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Manual of the Grasses of the United States (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950) p420
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p197
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".