Tussock Dropseed

This species is common in the plains. Duthie reports that it is eaten by horses and cattle at Lahore.

Sporobolus diandrus and S. fertilis are elements of the polymorphic, pantropical species complex of S. indicus (Linnaeus) R. Brown. This complex includes a range of intergrading taxa encompassing chromosome numbers from 2n = 18 to 2n = 54. Due to the small differences between these taxa and the frequency of intermediates, they are sometimes regarded as varieties of a broadly defined S. indicus.

Tufted perennial without rhizomes; culms 15-75 cm high, erect or geniculately ascending. Leaf-blades nearly always involute, up to 30 cm long, occasionally flat and then up to 4 mm wide. Panicle pyramidal or narrowly lanceolate, loose, up to 20 cm long, the primary branches erect or somewhat spreading, 1.5-5 cm long, bare at the base. Spikelets 1.2-1.6 mm long; glumes lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, shorter than the spikelet, obtuse, the lower 03-0.5 mm long, the upper 0.6-0.9 mm long; lemma narrowly ovate, as long as the spikelet, acute; anthers 2, sometimes 3, 0.3-0.4 mm long. Grain oblong or elliptic-oblong, 0.6-0.8 mm long, truncate at the tip.

Perennial. Culms tufted, erect, 30–90 cm tall. Leaf sheaths glabrous but margin ciliate; leaf blades linear, usually involute, 5–30 × 0.2–0.3 cm, glabrous on both surfaces or adaxial surface distinctly pilose at base, tapering to a long filiform apex; ligule 0.2–0.3 mm. Panicle contracted or rather loose, 7–35 × 1.5–3.5 cm; branches 1.5–9 cm, ascending or obliquely spreading, loosely spiculate, often lower 1/3 bare. Spikelets silvery grayish or yellowish green, 1.4–1.7 mm; lower glume oblong, ca. 0.5 mm, veinless, truncate or obtuse; upper glume oblong-ovate, 1/2–2/3 spikelet length, obscurely 1-veined, acute or obtuse-erose; lemma ovate-oblong, as long as spikelet, indistinctly 1 (–3)-veined, acute to obtuse. Anthers 2(–3), 0.5–0.8 mm. Grain obovate to oblong, 0.6–0.9 mm, apex truncate. Fl. and fr. May–Aug. 2n = 24.

Nepal, India, Ceylon, Burma, Thailand, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia.

Distribution: Pakistan (Punjab & N.W. F. P.); India to Burma, Sri Lanka and Australia.

100-1400 m

Fl. & Fr. Per.: August-October.

Dry hill slopes, grassy fields, roadsides, beaches. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Japan (Ryukyu Islands), Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand; Australia].

Agrostis diandra Retzius, Observ. Bot. 5: 19. 1788 ["1789"]; A. elongata var. flaccida Roth ex Roemer & Schultes; Sporobolus indicus var. flaccidus (Roth ex Roemer & Schultes) Veldkamp; Vilfa diandra (Retzius) Trinius; V. retzii Steudel, nom. illeg. superfl.