Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Sporobolus pinetorum
FAMILY
Poaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Carolina Dropseed is a tussock-former, the tussocks resembling Carolina Wiregrass (Aristida stricta) but are always greener in color (especially noticeable in late summer-fall). Carolina Dropseed was overlooked or misidentified as other dropseeds (mostly S. teretifolius) until the 1990s. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
The identity of this taxon has been obscure; it is now clear that it is a previously unrecognized species, endemic to NC, SC, and adjacent e. GA. RAB included it in their concept of S. teretifolius, though it does not key well (keying imperfectly to either S. floridanus or S. heterolepis)... Read more in Weakley's Flora (2023).
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sporobolus pinetorum
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Sporobolus pinetorum
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 25 (2003)
Sporobolus pinetorum
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Sporobolus pinetorum
INCLUDING (MISAPPLIED) VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-44-002 & 003?:
Sporobolus floridanus FAMILY Poaceae
INCLUDING & INCLUDED WITHIN (MISAPPLIED) Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968)
Sporobolus teretifolius
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Sporobolus floridanus
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sporobolus floridanus
COMMON NAME:
Carolina Dropseed, Savanna Dropseed
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Bruce A. Sorrie bas_s_pinetorum10e
October Richmond County NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
Panicle branches alternate (occasionally opposite but never regularly whorled), per Weakley's Flora.
)
Bruce A. Sorrie bas_s_pinetorum9e
October Richmond County NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
Leaves flat, 1.2-2.5mm wide. Tussocks resemble Aristida stricta but greener, per Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Sporobolus pinetorum
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sporobolus pinetorum
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Sporobolus pinetorum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 25
Sporobolus pinetorum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Sporobolus pinetorum
INCLUDING (MISAPPLIED)
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-44-002 & 003?:
Sporobolus floridanus
FAMILY
Poaceae
INCLUDING & INCLUDED WITHIN (MISAPPLIED)
Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968)
Sporobolus teretifolius
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Sporobolus floridanus
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sporobolus floridanus
4377
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Habitat: Wet pine savannas, pine savanna-pocosin ecotones, longleaf pine sandhill-pocosin ecotones, and extending upslope into mesic pine flatwoods or loamy or clayey shelves in the fall-line Sandhills, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon in NC (rare in GA & SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal
RHIZOMES? STOLONS?
Cespitose [growing in dense tufts, clumping]
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Panicle brownish-purplish
Inflorescence an open panicle
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Utricle
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
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".