''Sporobolus airoides'' is a species of
grass known by the common name alkali sacaton. It is native to western North America, including the
Western United States west of the
Mississippi River,
British Columbia and
Alberta in Canada, and northern and central Mexico. It grows in many types of habitat, often in
alkali soils, such as in
California desert
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
regions.
Description
''Sporobolus airoides'' is a perennial
bunchgrass forming a clump of stems reaching up to tall. The stem bases are thick and tough, almost woody in texture. The fibrous green or gray-green leaves are up to in length. The
inflorescence is long and generally wide open and spreading, bearing yellow spikelets with purplish bases. The grass produces abundant seeds, which are often
dispersed in flowing water and
germinate when embedded in
sediment.
[
]
Halophyte – salinity
''Sporobolus airoides'' is a facultative halophyte, able to grow in soils with high salt concentrations.[US Forest Service Fire Ecology]
/ref> This grass germinates best in warm, sunny, wet conditions, and it can easily move into saline soils such as those in alkali flats
A dry lake bed, also known as a playa, is a basin or depression that formerly contained a standing surface water body, which disappears when evaporation processes exceeds recharge. If the floor of a dry lake is covered by deposits of alkaline c ...
when the substrate is wet.[
]
Cultivation
It is a valuable grass for habitat restoration and revegetation projects in disturbed habitat in the Southwest United States, especially in riparian zones in California and the Intermountain West.[
]
Mojave Desert
It is planted with'' Muhlenbergia asperifolia'' (scratchgrass) for Mojave River and other riparian zone restoration in the Mojave Desert.[Hershdorfer, M. and R. Garner]
''Sporobolus airoides'' and ''Muhlenbergia asperifolia'': Population developments for southern Nevada.
USDA. March 2006. It produces dense groundcover
Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought.
In an ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as t ...
once established.[
]
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment – ''Sporobolus airoides''USDA Plants Profile: ''Sporobolus airoides''Grass Manual Treatment – ''Sporobolus airoides''FAO Grassland Index''Sporobolus airoides'' – Photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7165401
airoides
Bunchgrasses of North America
Native grasses of California
Grasses of Canada
Grasses of the United States
Flora of the California desert regions
Flora of the Great Basin
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Flora of the Sonoran Deserts
Flora of the Northwestern United States
Flora of the Southwestern United States
Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
Natural history of the Central Valley (California)
Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges
Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains
Natural history of the Transverse Ranges
Natural history of the Mojave Desert
North American desert flora
Flora of the Western United States
Garden plants of North America
Drought-tolerant plants
Flora without expected TNC conservation status