by Bob Harms 

The focus of these pages are the two Sporobolus groups commonly found in Central Texas: the S. compositus complex and the S. vaginiflorus complex. In 2001—2002 I examined all Texas collections for these complexes in the TEX/LL herbaria. I found a large number of disagreements among existing determinations for individual collections (by experts such as R. Riggins (author of "A biosystematic study of the Sporobolus asper complex [Gramineae]," the standard reference for the complex), F. W. Gould (The Grasses of Texas), S. L. Hatch (Director of Tracy Herbarium) and R. L. McGregor (Univ. of Kansas). I also made my own determinations based in large part on spikelet/lemma morphology, and submitted a report on my findings to Tom Wendt, Curator of TEX/LL. [A revised version of my 2002 report.] In 2014 I examined those collections that were not available in 2002.

• Recent views of the status of the two Sporobolus complexes
• Lemma vestiture as differentia
• Compound microscope images of lemma vestiture
• SEM lemma micromorpholgy: cell types
• SEM scans of lemma vestiture I
• SEM scans of lemma vestiture II (with Flora of North America Key)
• Wet pericarp reaction as differentia
• Panicles mostly differ in size
• Spikelet differences
• Habit differences
• Texas Distribution Maps
  • S. compositus
  • S. clandestinus
  • S. compositus Complex
  • S. vaginiflorus & S. neglectus
• S. cryptandrus, the ‘other’ commonly found Sporobolus in Central Texas