Sporobolus compositus

Tall dropseed
1913 illustration
S. compositus var. compositus[1]
Secure
Secure (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Chloridoideae
Genus: Sporobolus
Species:
S. compositus
Binomial name
Sporobolus compositus
Synonyms
List
  • Agrostis composita Poir.
  • Vilfa composita (Poir.) P.Beauv.
  • Agrostis aspera Michx.
  • Agrostis involuta Muhl.
  • Agrostis longifolia (Torr.) Torr. ex A.Gray
  • Agrostis polystachya Bosc ex Steud.
  • Apera aspera P.Beauv.
  • Glyceria stricta Buckley
  • Muhlenbergia aspera Kunth
  • Muhlenbergia composita Trin. ex Steud.
  • Sporobolus asper (P.Beauv.) Kunth
  • Sporobolus asper var. drummondii (Trin.) Vasey
  • Sporobolus asper var. hookeri (Trin.) Vasey
  • Sporobolus asper var. pilosus (Vasey) Hitchc.
  • Sporobolus attenuatus Nash
  • Sporobolus compositus var. drummondii (Trin.) Kartesz & Gandhi
  • Sporobolus drummondii (Trin.) Vasey
  • Sporobolus longifolius (Torr.) Alph.Wood
  • Sporobolus pilosus Vasey
  • Vilfa aspera P.Beauv.
  • Vilfa drummondii Trin.
  • Vilfa hookeri Trin.
  • Vilfa longifolia Torr.

Sporobolus compositus, the composite dropseed[3] or tall dropseed, is a native North American prairie grass growing from two to four feet tall. Also called rough dropseed and meadow dropseed, it is common on the Great Plains, and found in most states in the United States.

It flowers from August to September. The name derives from the readily falling grain. Dropseed has little value as food; its palatability decreases with its age.

References

  1. ↑ Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. Vol. 1: 196.
  2. ↑ NatureServe. "Sporobolus compositus". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  3. ↑ NRCS. "Sporobolus compositus". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 27 November 2015.