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Useful Tropical Plants

Sporobolus indicus

(L.) R.Br.

Poaceae

+ Synonyms

Agrostis compressa Poir.

Agrostis elongata Lam.

Agrostis indica L.

Agrostis tenacissima Jacq.

Agrostis tenuissima Spreng.

Axonopus poiretii Roem. & Schult.

Sporobolus angustus Buckley

Sporobolus berteroanus (Trin.) Hitchc. & Chase

Sporobolus exilis (Trin.) Balansa

Sporobolus jacquemontii Borhidi

Sporobolus jacquemontii Kunth

Sporobolus lamarckii Desv. ex Ham.

Sporobolus minor Trin. ex Kunth

Sporobolus poiretii (Roem. & Schult.) Hitchc.

Sporobolus pyramidatus (Lam.) Hitchc.

Vilfa angusta Buckley

Vilfa berteroana Trin.

Vilfa exilis Trin.

Vilfa familiaris Steud. ex Lechler

Vilfa indica (L.) Trin. ex Steud.

Vilfa jacquemontii (Kunth) Trin.

Vilfa rupestris (Kunth) Trin.

Vilfa rupestris Trin.

Vilfa tenacissima (L.f.) Kunth

Common Name: Smut Grass

Sporobolus indicus
Flowering plant, with a Laysan albatross to keep it company
Photograph by: Forest and Kim Starr
Creative Commons License
Sporobolus indicus Sporobolus indicus Sporobolus indicus

General Information

Sporobolus indicus is usually a rather densely tufted, perennial, slender, wiry grass with erect, branched stems up to 1 metre tall[
345
Title
Minor Products of Philippine Forests
Publication
 
Author
Brown. W. H.
Publisher
Bureau of Forestry, Manilla.
Year
1920
ISBN
 
Description
A useful guide to some of the plants of the area, though terse on details. The book is out of copyright and can be legally downloaded from the Internet.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for its straw, which is woven into various items. The seed has occasionally been used for food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

50
Title
Flora Europaea
Publication
 
Author
?
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
1964
ISBN
-
Description
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for Europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.
,
154
Title
Flora of Victoria.
Publication
 
Author
Ewart. A. J.
Publisher
University Press; Melbourne
Year
1930
ISBN
 
Description
A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.

Range

Widespread in subtropical to tropical areas of Europe and Asia; S. America through Central America, the Caribbean and southern N. America

Habitat

Found in poor dry soils in Australia[
154
Title
Flora of Victoria.
Publication
 
Author
Ewart. A. J.
Publisher
University Press; Melbourne
Year
1930
ISBN
 
Description
A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.
]. Waste places, roadsides etc in the Philippines[
345
Title
Minor Products of Philippine Forests
Publication
 
Author
Brown. W. H.
Publisher
Bureau of Forestry, Manilla.
Year
1920
ISBN
 
Description
A useful guide to some of the plants of the area, though terse on details. The book is out of copyright and can be legally downloaded from the Internet.
]. Savannahs, dry hills, fields and waste places in Panama[
368
Title
Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Volume 30
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Missouri Botanical Garden; St. Louis.
Year
1943
ISBN
 
Description
Contains parts of the Flora of Panama.This, and other volumes of the series, are available for download from the Internet.
].

Properties

Weed PotentialYes
Edibility Rating *  *
Medicinal Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitPerennial
Height0.75 m
PollinatorsWind
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in warm temperate to tropical areas.
Succeeds in any well drained soil in a sunny position[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
The plant has become naturalised in many areas outside its original range. It spreads well in areas where there is traffic and the soil has been compacted and is particularly aggressive in wet and swampy soils[
305
Title
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
].

Edible Uses

Seed - raw or cooked. It can be ground into a flour[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].

Medicinal

The plant is used to enrich the blood, reduce swellings and correct gonorrhoea[
218
Title
Medicinal Plants of China
Publication
 
Author
Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S.
Publisher
Reference Publications, Inc.
Year
1985
ISBN
0-917256-20-4
Description
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
]. It is considered to be an antifertility drug in some countries[
218
Title
Medicinal Plants of China
Publication
 
Author
Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S.
Publisher
Reference Publications, Inc.
Year
1985
ISBN
0-917256-20-4
Description
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
].

Other Uses

A fibre is obtained from the leaves[
156
Title
Useful Wild Plants in Australia.
Publication
 
Author
Cribb. A. B. and J. W.
Publisher
William Collins Pty Ltd. Sidney
Year
1981
ISBN
0-00-216441-8
Description
A very readable book.
].
The tough culms are used for making hats and other items that can be woven from straw[
345
Title
Minor Products of Philippine Forests
Publication
 
Author
Brown. W. H.
Publisher
Bureau of Forestry, Manilla.
Year
1920
ISBN
 
Description
A useful guide to some of the plants of the area, though terse on details. The book is out of copyright and can be legally downloaded from the Internet.
,
454
Title
Useful Fiber Plants of the World
Publication
 
Author
Dodge C.R.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
Publisher
USDA; Washington.
Year
1897
ISBN
 
Description
A rather dated, but very comprehensive catalogue of fibre plants from around the world. The book can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks.
Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions.
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-29. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Sporobolus%20indicus>

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