Compilation
Sporobolus africanus

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Name

Identification
Sporobolus africanus (Poir.) Robyns & Tournay [family POACEAE ]
Related name
  • Sporobolus africanus
Common name
  • goor (Chapman) (NIGERIA, MAMBILA), Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 2
  • pagame (Chapman) (NIGERIA, FULA-FULFULDE), Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 2

Flora

Entry for SPOROBOLUS africanus (Poir.) Robyns & Tournay [family POACEAE]
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical East Africa, Part (Part 2), page 177, (1974) Author: W. D. CLAYTON, S. M. PHILLIPS AND S. A. RENVOIZE
Names
SPOROBOLUS africanus (Poir.) Robyns & Tournay [family POACEAE], in B.J.B.B. 25: 242 (1955); F.P.N.A. 3: 143 (1955); R.K.G.: 29 (1958); I.G.U.: 56 (1960); G.T.: 47 (1965); Clayton in F.W.T.A., ed. 2, 3: 410 (1972). Type: South Africa, Thunberg (UPS, holo., K, microfiche !)
Agrostis spicata Thunb. [family POACEAE], Prodr. Pl. Cap.: 19 (1794), non Vahl (1790), nom. illegit.
Agrostis capensis Willd. [family POACEAE], Sp. Pl. 1: 372 (1798), non (L.) Lam. (1783), nom. illegit. Based on A. spicata Thunb.
Agrostis africana Poir. [family POACEAE], in Lam., Encycl., Suppl. 1: 254 (1810). Based on A. spicata Thunb.
Vilfa capensis P. Beauv. [family POACEAE], Ess. Agrost.: 16, 147, 181 (1812). Based on Agrostis capensis Willd.
Sporobolus capensis (P. Beauv.) Kunth [family POACEAE], Enum. Pl. 1: 212 (1833); Ann. list grasses Ug.: 45 (1947); Ann. list Nyasaland grasses: 60 (1958), nom. illegit.
Sporobolus indicus [family POACEAE], [sensu E.A. Pasture Plants 2: 38 (1927); Ann. list grasses Ug.: 45 (1947), non (L.) R. Br.]
Sporobolus indicus (L. f.) Peter var. tenacissimus [family POACEAE], [, F.D.O.-A. 1: 291 (1931), quoad specim. cit. Although commonly misapplied to Sporobolus, the basis of this name is actually a specimen of Muhlenbergia mexicana (L.) Trin.]
Sporobolus indicus (P. Beauv.) Peter var. capensis [family POACEAE], F.D.O.-A. 1: 292 (1931)
Sporobolus batesii A. Chev. [family POACEAE], in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., sér. 2, 20: 469 (1948). Type: Cameroun, Bates 567 (P, holo. !)
Sporobolus indicus (Poir.) Jovet & Guédès var. africanus [family POACEAE], in Taxon 22: 163 (1973)
Information
Tufted perennial, the basal sheaths rather broad and somewhat papery; culms 30–110 cm. high, 1.5–3 mm. in diameter at the base. Leaf-blades flat or convolute, up to 40 cm. long, 1–4 mm. wide, tapering to a long filiform tip. Panicle linear with short side branches to spiciform, 10–35 cm. long, dense; primary branches appressed to the main axis, subsecund, densely spiculate along their whole length, the lowest 1–2 cm. long. Spikelets (1.5–)2.1–2.8 mm. long, dark green; lower glume broadly oblong, 0.4–0.7 mm. long, hyaline, obtuse; upper glume narrowly ovate, 1–1.5 mm. long, ± 1/2 as long as the spikelet, acute; lemma ovate-elliptic, as long as the spikelet, acute; anthers 3, 0.6–0.8 mm. long. Grain ellipsoid, (0.8–)1.1– 1.2 mm. long, truncate at the top, often ± tetragonal in cross-section.
Range
DISTR. U1–3; K1, 3–7; T1–3, 6, 7 Cameroun and Ethiopia to South Africa
Altitude range
1300–2600 m.
Distribution
KENYA Uasin Gishu District Ol Dane Sapuk, 11 Apr. 1951, G. R. Williams 112!KENYA Kiambu District Limuru, Gatina farm, 2 May 1959, McCallum Webster K.43a! & Gatamayu [Katamayu] Forest, 23 Feb. 1947, Bogdan 383 !TANZANIA Masai District Ngorongoro crater, 4 Mar. 1961, Newbould 5694 !TANZANIA Moshi District Engare Nairobi, 5 July 1943, Greenway 6724!TANZANIA Uluguru Mts., Bunduki, 20 Mar. 1953, Drummond & Hemsley 1731 !UGANDA Kigezi District Mt. Muhavura, 17 Oct. 1929, Snowden 1472! & Kisoro, 13 Feb. 1945, Greenway & Eggeling 7128!UGANDA Mbale District Bugishu, Sipi, 31 Aug. 1932, A. S. Thomas 439 !
Distribution (external)
Ascension I
Ceylon
Hawaii
Easter I
Notes
Although very similar to the American species S. indicus (L.) R. Br., S. africanus is sufficiently distinct in southern Africa. However, in tropical Africa it tends to have shorter spikelets and a shorter more obovoid grain, so that it is often difficult to separate from the Asiatic species S. fertilis (Steud.) W. D. Clayton (see K.B. 19: 287 (1965)).

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