Sporobolus (cryptandrus)
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Allegra Mount Seed Lab Manager Borderlands Restoration PO Box 1191 Patagonia, Arizona 85624 949-690-2592 borderlands.restoration@gmail.com www.borderlandsrestoration.org |
| Family Scientific Name: | Poaceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Grass family | ||
| Scientific Name: | Sporobolus cryptandrus (Torr.) A. Gray | ||
| Common Name: | sand dropseed | ||
| Ecotype: | Madrean Archipelago | ||
| General Distribution: |
S. cryptandrus grows all over the continental US, extending into Mexico and southern Canada (Flora of North America Editorial Committee 1993+). In is typically found at low elevations in sandy soils but can grow up to 8,000ft in elevation (Tilley et al 2009). It is one of the most drought-tolerant species in the shortgrass prairie due to the ability of its fine roots to efficiently collect water from the upper 30cm of soil (Tilley et al 2009). S. cryptandrus is used in restoration plantings across the southwestern US as its fine, fibrous root system effectively stabilises loose soil and dunes (Tilley et al 2009). In some situations S. cryptandrus can become weedy (Tilley et al 2009). In the southwestern US, S. cryptandrus can flower and seed several times within the growing season (Tilley et al 2009). |
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| Propagation Goal: | Plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | Seed | ||
| ProductType: | Container (plug) | ||
| Propagule Collection: | Removing entire panicles is the most efficient way to collect S. cryptandrus seed. This can be accomplished by snapping off the panicles by hand or snipping them off with a pair of garden clippers. | ||
| Propagule Processing: |
At this time, the MAPP seed facility does not have equipment to fully clean grass seed material down to the grain. Under cool, dry conditions, S. cryptandrus can retain viability for long periods of time. In one instance, 75% of a 20 year old seed lot was viable, although this was in 1937 and there is little information about the exact storage conditions (Tilley et al. 2010). S. cryptandrus has a hard seed coat which can be broken down over time, so often older seed will germinate better than younger seed (Tilley et al. 2010). |
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| Establishment Phase: |
Germination rates of untreated seed are extremely low - under 3% (Sartor and Marone 2010). To maximize germination rates, seed should be warm-stratified or scarified. Warm stratification can be accomplished by subjecting seeds to 45°C/15°C conditions for 8 and 16 hours respectively for 15 days, with following germination rates ranging from 15-37% (Sartor and Marone 2010). If warm stratification is attempted, do not stratify seeds for more than 15 days as this results in significant decreases in viability (Sartor and Marone 2010). Alternatively, mechanical scarification can be accomplished by rubbing seeds between two pieces of sandpaper approximately 15 times (Ferrari et al. 2015). Germination rates of scarified seeds are strongly correlated with the temperature at which planted seeds are kept (Ferrari et al. 2015). Maximum rates (about 45-95%) are achieved when scarified seed is planted and kept at 35°C (Ferarri et al. 2015). |
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| References: |
Ferrari, Florencia Noemi, and Carlos Alberto Parera. "Germination of six native perennial grasses that can be used as potential soil cover crops in drip-irrigated vineyards in semiarid environs of Argentina." Journal of Arid Environments 113 (2015): 1-5. Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. Flora of North America North of Mexico. 20+ vols. New York and Oxford, 1993+. Sartor, C. E., and L. Marone. "A plurality of causal mechanisms explains the persistence or transience of soil seed banks." Journal of arid environments 74.2 (2010): 303-306. Tilley, D., L. St. John, and D. Ogle. “Plant guide for Sporobolus cryptandrus (Torr.) A. Gray.” USDA Plant Guide. USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Idaho Plant Materials Center. Aberdeen, ID, 2009. Web. https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_spcr.pdf [2017, January 25]. Borderlands Restoration Network (2018). BRN Native Plant Materials Program Database. Unpublished Raw Data. |
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Citation:
Allen-Cantú, Juniper; Claverie, Francesca; McNelis, Perin; Mount, Allegra. 2018. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Sporobolus cryptandrus (Torr.) A. Gray Plants Borderlands Restoration Patagonia, Arizona. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/02/23). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.
