Sporobolus virginicus

Sporobolus virginicus, known by numerous common names including seashore dropseed,[1] marine couch, sand couch, salt couch grass, saltwater couch, coastal rat-tail grass, and nioaka, is a species of grass with a wide distribution.

Sporobolus virginicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Sporobolus
Species:
S. virginicus
Binomial name
Sporobolus virginicus

Description

It is a spreading perennial tussock grass from 10 to 50 cm (3.9 to 19.7 in) in height. Its flowers are green or purple. It reproduces asexually by use of both stolons and rhizomes.[2]

Taxonomy

It was originally published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, under the name Agrostis virginicus. It was transferred into Sporobolus by Karl Sigismund Kunth in 1829. It has a great many synonyms.[3]

Distribution and habitat

It grows in Australia, New Zealand, many Pacific Islands, the Caribbean, Africa, India, China and Indonesia. It is widespread in Australia,[4] occurring in every state, although in New South Wales it is considered naturalised.[5]

References
  1. "Sporobolus virginicus". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  2. "Sporobolus virginicus (L.) Kunth". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  3. "Sporobolus virginicus (L.) Kunth". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  4. p24 It is the most wildly distributed saltmarsh plant in Australia Saintilan, Neil; CSIRO (2009), Australian saltmarsh ecology, CSIRO Publishing, ISBN 978-0-643-09684-4
  5. S. W. L. Jacobs & K. L. McClay. "New South Wales Flora Online: Sporobolus virginicus". Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia.
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