Sporobolus
| Dropseed | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Sporobolus virginicus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Chloridoideae |
| Tribe: | Zoysieae |
| Genus: |
Sporobolus R.Br. |
| Type species | |
|
Sporobolus indicus (L.) R.Br. |
|
| Synonyms | |
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Sporobolus is a nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family.
The name is derived from the Greek words (sporos), meaning "seed", and (bolos), meaning "throw", referring to the dispersion of seeds. Members of the genus are usually called dropseeds or sacaton grasses. They are typical prairie and savanna plants, occurring in other types of open habitat in warmer climates. At least one species (S. caespitosus from Saint Helena) is threatened with extinction, and another (S. durus from Ascension Island) is extinct.
While some dropseed grasses make nice gardening plants, they are generally considered to make inferior pastures. On the other hand, seeds of at least some species are edible and nutritious; they were used as food for example by the Chiricahua Apaches. Other species are reported to be used as famine foods, such as Sporobolus indicus in parts of the Oromia Region of Ethiopia, where it is known as muriy in Oromiffa.
Known as popote de cambray, Sporobolus grasses are used in popotillo art or straw mosaics, a Mexican folk art with Pre-Columbian origins.
Caterpillars of the small moth Bucculatrix sporobolella have only been found on alkali sacaton (Sporobolus airoides). The Laysan dropseed noctuid moth (Hypena laysanensis) on Laysan Island apparently became extinct with the local eradication of S. virginicus by feral rabbits. Seed-eating birds including American sparrows (genus Aimophila) feed on sacaton seeds. S. wrightii is a critical resource for the Botteri's sparrow (Aimophila botterii) which at one time was extirpated from Arizona.
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Wikipedia