Sporobolus asper (P. Beauv.) Kunth var. hookeri (Trin.) Vasey

Scientific Name: Sporobolus asper (P. Beauv.) Kunth var. hookeri (Trin.) Vasey


Classification: Plantae/ Tracheobionta / Spermatophyta / Magnoliophyta / Liliopsida / Commelinidae / Cyperales / Poaceae / Gramineae / Sporobolus R. Br./ Sporobolus asper (P. Beauv.) Kunth var. hookeri (Trin.) Vasey

<i>Sporobolus asper</i> (P. Beauv.) Kunth var. hookeri (Trin.) Vasey
General Information
Usda SymbolSPASH
GroupMonocot
Life CyclePerennial
Growth HabitsGraminoid
Native LocationsSPASH

Plant Guide

COMPOSITE

DROPSEED Sporobolus compositus (Poir.) Merr. var. compositus Plant Symbol = SPCOC2 Contributed by: USDA NRCS Elsberry Plant Materials Center and the National Plant Data Center Ann Gardner Ada Herbarium, Iowa State University

Alternate Names

Sporobolus asper, Sporobolus asper var. hookeri, rough dropseed, tall dropseed, zacaton

Uses

Forage: Composite dropseed is a minor portion of the vegetative composition in most of the areas in which it grows. It is not a particularly valuable forage species. The forage value of composite dropseed, compared to other grasses, is fair for livestock and poor for wildlife. It is most palatable in the spring when plants are in the vegetative developmental stage and palatability declines as culms mature. In Kansas composite dropseed tends to increase in overgrazed bluestem pastures, but it tends to decrease in short-grass prairies. Prairie restoration and Roadside plantings: On upland hardwood forest-tallgrass prairies in central Oklahoma, the diet of cottontail rabbit is dominated by composite dropseed, Heller's rosette grass (Dichanthelium oligosanthes), and Croton species. Disturbed habitats were maintained by removal of woody overstory vegetation with herbicide and burning. Differences in the botanical composition and quality of rabbit diets between disturbed and undisturbed habitats were of little biological significance.

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

Description

General: Grass Family (Poaceae). Composite dropseed is a tall (2 to 4 ft.), native, perennial, warm-season bunchgrass. Culms are erect, solitary or in small tufts, simple or branching, 24 to 48 inches tall, solid and glabrous. Some varieties have short rhizomes. Inflorescences are narrow panicles, 2 to 12 inches long and partially to completely included in the upper sheaths. The inflorescences are either white or pale purple in coloration. Composite dropseed flowers during late summer to early autumn. The stems and leaves bleach whitish during winter. Distribution: For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site. Habitat: Composite dropseed occurs on prairies and foothills on dry clayey to silty soils. It is most abundant on soils that are intermittently wet and dry. It does not grow on either deep sandy soils or on soils with a high water table. In the Great Basin composite dropseed grows on dry often sandy sites in Juniper communities and in fallow fields below 2,100 ft.

Adaptation

Composite dropseed is more drought tolerant than many grasses of the bluestem prairie, but it is not as United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant Materials <http://plant-materials,nrcs,usda,gov/> Plant Fact Sheet/Guide Coordination Page <http://plant-materials,nrcs,usda,gov/intranet/pfs,html> National Plant Data Center <http://npdc,usda,gov>

soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Sporobolus asper (P. Beauv.) Kunth var. hookeri (Trin.) Vasey.,nrcs,usda,gov/>"><http://plant-materials,nrcs,usda,gov/>
<http://plant-materials,nrcs,usda,gov/intranet/pfs,html>
<http://npdc,usda,gov> drought hardy as sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus),

Establishment

Pretreatment of composite dropseed seeds with potassium nitrate resulted in 39% germination.

Management

Burning in early spring favors warm-season composite dropseed, whereas late spring burning favors cool-season species. Forage yield of composite dropseed increased following a spring burn during both wet and dry years in an Ashe’s juniper (Juniperus ashe) community in southeastern Texas. An autumn burn favored the growth of composite dropseed in a southern Texas chaparral community. A field study addressed the effects of fire, cattle grazing and the interaction of these two disturbances on plant species abundance and community structure in an tallgrass prairie in Oklahoma. Plant species composition was sampled across 4 levels of increasing disturbance intensity: ungrazed + unburned (undisturbed), grazed + unburned, ungrazed + burned, and grazed + burned. Burning occurred during mid-April. Grazing occurred from mid-May to September at a moderate to heavy stocking rate. Burning decreased the percentage cover of composite dropseed from 11.7 to 4.8, when averaged across grazing treatments and years. Grazing had no effect on the percentage cover of composite dropseed. The common species in the plant community were classified as either matrix or non-matrix species. Matrix forming species are superior competitors that consume the majority of resources, and non-matrix species occupy areas between the matrix forming dominants. In this study the matrix species were perennial grasses: big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), and composite dropseed. The non-matrix species were perennial and annual forbs, and the annual grass cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum). Collectively, the matrix and non-matrix species exhibited an opposite response to both burning and grazing treatments. Collectively, fire increased the cover of matrix-forming grass; composite dropseed was an exception. Grazing decreased the cover of matrix grasses and increased the cover of forbs. Cheatgrass was the most common non-matrix species. Burning reduced the percentage cover of cheatgrass from 30.0 to 1.8, when averaged across grazing treatments and years.

Pests and Potential Problems

This plant may become weedy or invasive in some regions or habitats and may displace desirable vegetation if not properly managed. Please consult with your local NRCS Field Office, Cooperative Extension Service office, or state natural resource or agriculture department regarding its status and use. Weed information is also available from the PLANTS Web site at plants.usda.gov.

Control

Please contact your local agricultural extension specialist or county weed specialist to learn what works best in your area and how to use it safely. Always read label and safety instructions for each control method. Trade names and control measures appear in this document only to provide specific information. USDA NRCS does not guarantee or warranty the products and control methods named, and other products may be equally effective.

Seeds and Plant Production

Plant Production

Plant Production

An average seed lot of composite dropseed contains 759,362 seeds per pound. Observations indicate that cross-pollination in composite dropseed is possible but probably infrequent. Nevertheless, standard isolation procedures should be used in composite dropseed seed production. Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) Contact your local Natural Resources

Conservation

Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under ”United States Government”. The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture.” “Northern Missouri Germplasm” is a source identified ecotype for northern Missouri counties. It was collected from native prairie remnants in Missouri counties north of the Missouri River and from east to west across northern Missouri. The potential uses of Northern Missouri Germplasm include roadside plantings, prairie restoration, landscaping, and increasing species diversity in prairie communities. Seed is available from the USDA NRCS Elsberry Plant Materials Center, 2803 N. Hwy. 79, Elsberry, Missouri.

References

Boe, A. 1990. Variability for seed size and yield in two tall dropseed populations. J. Range Manage. 43:195-197. Anderson, K.L., Smith, E.F. & Owensby, C.B. 1970. Burning bluestem range. J. Range Manage. 23: 81-92.

http:plants.usda.gov Baskin, C.J. & Baskin, J.M. 1998. Seeds: Ecology, biogeography and evolution in dormancy and germination. Academic Press. In: Native Plant Propagation Database http://nativeplants.for.uidaho.edu/network/Previe wResults.asp Box, T.W. Powell, J.D. & Lynn, D. 1967. Influence of fire on south Texas chaparral communities. Ecology 48: 955-961. Collins, S. 1987. Interaction of disturbances in tallgrass prairie: a field experiment. Ecology 68: 1243-1250. Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses. Accessed 20 October 2005 http://www.lib.ksu.edu/wildflower/ Riggins, R. 1977. A biosystematic study of the Sporobolus asper complex (Gramineae). Iowa State Journal of Research 51: 287-321. Peitz, D.G., Lockmiller R.L, Leslie, D.M. & Engle, D.M. 1997. Protein quality of cottontail rabbit forages following rangeland disturbance. J.

Range

Manage. 50: 450-458. Stubbendieck, J., Hatch, S.L. & Butterfield, C. 1995. North American range plants. ed. 2. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln. USDA Forest Service. Fire effects information system. Accessed 20 October 2005 http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ USDA NRCS. 2006. The PLANTS database. <http://plants.usda.gov>. Accessed: 23March2006. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Wink, R.L. & Wright, H.A. 1973. Effects of fire on an ashe juniper community. J. Range Manage. 26: 326-329.

Fact Sheet

Uses

Composite dropseed is tough and wiry and is not grazed as readily as tall or hairy dropseed. Cattle and horses graze it in winter when associated grasses are dormant.

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status, such as, state noxious status and wetland indicator values.

Description

Grass Family (Poaceae). Composite dropseed is a warm-season, perennial bunch grass. The height ranges from 2 to 4 feet. The leaf blade is flat and narrow; at least 20 inches long and rolls inward, and becomes threadlike at the tip. The leaf sheath is shorter than internodes. The upper sheath, often inflated, encloses seedhead. The ligule has a short and hairy membrane. The seedhead is narrow purplish panicle usually 3 to 8 inches long; spikelets 1-flowered and wedge shaped.

Management

This grass increases on ranges that are grazed only in summer because associated grasses are more palatable, Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Sporobolus asper (P. Beauv.) Kunth var. hookeri (Trin.) Vasey., If it is the key management species during the winter grazing season, no more than 50 percent of current year's growth by weight should be grazed off,

Establishment

Growth starts in late winter or early spring. Seedheads form in August. Some leaves remain green in the dense bunches through winter. It is best adapted to deep clay soils that is intermittently wet and dry. It does not grow on soils with a high water table or on deep sandy soils. Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin) Please contact your local NRCS Field Office.

Plant Traits

Growth Requirements

Temperature, Minimum (°F)-38
Adapted to Coarse Textured SoilsYes
Adapted to Fine Textured SoilsNo
Adapted to Medium Textured SoilsYes
Anaerobic ToleranceNone
CaCO3 ToleranceLow
Cold Stratification RequiredNo
Drought ToleranceHigh
Fertility RequirementLow
Fire ToleranceHigh
Frost Free Days, Minimum100
Hedge ToleranceNone
Moisture UseLow
pH, Maximum7.0
pH, Minimum5.5
Precipitation, Maximum50
Precipitation, Minimum16
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)10
Salinity ToleranceNone
Shade ToleranceIntolerant


Morphology/Physiology

After Harvest Regrowth RateSlow
ToxicityNone
Shape and OrientationErect
Nitrogen FixationNone
Resprout AbilityNo
Active Growth PeriodSpring and Summer
BloatNone
C:N RatioMedium
Coppice PotentialNo
Fall ConspicuousNo
Fire ResistantNo
Flower ColorYellow
Flower ConspicuousNo
Foliage ColorGreen
Foliage Porosity SummerModerate
Foliage TextureFine
Low Growing GrassNo
LifespanLong
Leaf RetentionNo
Known AllelopathNo
Height, Mature (feet)3.0
Growth RateModerate
Growth FormBunch
Fruit/Seed ConspicuousNo
Fruit/Seed ColorBrown
Foliage Porosity WinterPorous


Reproduction

Vegetative Spread RateSlow
Small GrainNo
Seedling VigorMedium
Seed Spread RateSlow
Seed per Pound759362
Fruit/Seed PersistenceNo
Propagated by TubersNo
Propagated by SprigsNo
Propagated by SodNo
Propagated by SeedYes
Propagated by CormNo
Propagated by ContainerNo
Propagated by BulbNo
Propagated by Bare RootNo
Fruit/Seed Period EndFall
Fruit/Seed Period BeginSummer
Fruit/Seed AbundanceMedium
Commercial AvailabilityNo Known Source
Bloom PeriodSummer
Propagated by CuttingsNo


Suitability/Use

Veneer ProductNo
Pulpwood ProductNo
Protein PotentialLow
Post ProductNo
Palatable HumanNo
Palatable Graze AnimalMedium
Palatable Browse AnimalLow
Nursery Stock ProductNo
Naval Store ProductNo
Lumber ProductNo
Fodder ProductYes
Christmas Tree ProductNo
Berry/Nut/Seed ProductNo

<i>Sporobolus asper</i> (P. Beauv.) Kunth var. hookeri (Trin.) Vasey

<i>Sporobolus asper</i> (P. Beauv.) Kunth var. hookeri (Trin.) Vasey

<i>Sporobolus asper</i> (P. Beauv.) Kunth var. hookeri (Trin.) Vasey