Sporobolus stapfianus
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Protea Hill Farm
Dec 2012
Photo: Mike Bingham
Protea Hill Farm
Dec 2012
Photo: Mike Bingham
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| Synonyms: |
Sporobolus festivus var. stuppeus Stapf Sporobolus stuppeus (Stapf) Stent |
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
Densely caespitose perennial without rhizomes or stolons; culms up to 40(55) cm tall, erect, unbranched; basal leaf sheaths chartaceous, tomentose on the margins with curly yellow or brown hairs, terete, decaying with age into a compact mass of fine fibres, the woolly hairs retained within; leaf laminas 3–15 cm long, involute-filiform, smooth or scaberulous on the surface, scabrid on the margins. Panicle 3–15 cm long, ovate and diffuse or rarely linear and somewhat condensed; primary branches not in whorls, capillary, tinged with red, smooth or scaberulous, eglandular, the spikelets evenly distributed. Spikelets (1.2)1.4–2.1 mm long, greyish-green or sometimes dark greenish-purple or olive; inferior glume 1/3–2/3 the length of the spikelet, narrowly ovate to oblong, nerveless, glabrous or minutely hispidulous, acute to acuminate or obtuse-denticulate at the apex; superior glume 1/2–2/3(4/5) the length of the spikelet, narrowly ovate, 1-nerved, glabrous or minutely hispidulous, acute at the apex; lemma as long as the spikelet, narrowly ovate, acute; anthers 3, 0.8–1.2 mm long. Grain 0.5–0.7 mm long, obovate, truncate. Early-flowering (December) |
| Type location: |
South Africa |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | stapfiana: after Dr. Otto Stapf (1857-1933), Austrian-born British botanist, taxonomist and author of many plant taxa. He was Curator at the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Fellow of the Linnean Society and the Royal Society. |
| Habitat: | Often in shallow soil over rock; also in miombo and mixed deciduous woodland in bare ground, often associated with Microchloa kunthii. |
| Altitude range: (metres) | 100 - 1700 m |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | Widespread in Tropical Africa and South Africa; also Madagascar and Yemen. |
| FZ divisions: | T,MS,M |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 365. Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 52. Chapano, C. & Mugarisanwa, N.H. (2003). Plants of the Matobo District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 34. Cope, T.A. (1999). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(2) Page 191. Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 62. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 110. Ntore, S. & al. (2024). Checklist of the vascular plants of Burundi Page 208. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 146. |
Other sources of information about Sporobolus stapfianus:
Our websites:
Flora of Botswana: Sporobolus stapfianusFlora of Burundi: Sporobolus stapfianus
Flora of Caprivi: Sporobolus stapfianus
Flora of Malawi: Sporobolus stapfianus
Flora of Zambia: Sporobolus stapfianus
Flora of Zimbabwe: Sporobolus stapfianus
External websites:
African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Sporobolus stapfianusAfrican Plant Database: Sporobolus stapfianus
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Sporobolus stapfianus
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Sporobolus stapfianus
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Sporobolus stapfianus
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Sporobolus stapfianus
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Sporobolus stapfianus
JSTOR Plant Science: Sporobolus stapfianus
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Sporobolus stapfianus
Plants of the World Online: Sporobolus stapfianus
Tropicos: Sporobolus stapfianus
Wikipedia: Sporobolus stapfianus