Sporobolus diandrus (Retz.) P. Beauv.

This species is common in the plains. Duthie reports that it is eaten by horses and cattle at Lahore.

Sporobolus diandrus and S. fertilis are elements of the polymorphic, pantropical species complex of S. indicus (Linnaeus) R. Brown. This complex includes a range of intergrading taxa encompassing chromosome numbers from 2n = 18 to 2n = 54. Due to the small differences between these taxa and the frequency of intermediates, they are sometimes regarded as varieties of a broadly defined S. indicus.

Tufted perennial without rhizomes; culms 15-75 cm high, erect or geniculately ascending. Leaf-blades nearly always involute, up to 30 cm long, occasionally flat and then up to 4 mm wide. Panicle pyramidal or narrowly lanceolate, loose, up to 20 cm long, the primary branches erect or somewhat spreading, 1.5-5 cm long, bare at the base. Spikelets 1.2-1.6 mm long; glumes lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, shorter than the spikelet, obtuse, the lower 03-0.5 mm long, the upper 0.6-0.9 mm long; lemma narrowly ovate, as long as the spikelet, acute; anthers 2, sometimes 3, 0.3-0.4 mm long. Grain oblong or elliptic-oblong, 0.6-0.8 mm long, truncate at the tip.

Perennial. Culms tufted, erect, 30–90 cm tall. Leaf sheaths glabrous but margin ciliate; leaf blades linear, usually involute, 5–30 × 0.2–0.3 cm, glabrous on both surfaces or adaxial surface distinctly pilose at base, tapering to a long filiform apex; ligule 0.2–0.3 mm. Panicle contracted or rather loose, 7–35 × 1.5–3.5 cm; branches 1.5–9 cm, ascending or obliquely spreading, loosely spiculate, often lower 1/3 bare. Spikelets silvery grayish or yellowish green, 1.4–1.7 mm; lower glume oblong, ca. 0.5 mm, veinless, truncate or obtuse; upper glume oblong-ovate, 1/2–2/3 spikelet length, obscurely 1-veined, acute or obtuse-erose; lemma ovate-oblong, as long as spikelet, indistinctly 1 (–3)-veined, acute to obtuse. Anthers 2(–3), 0.5–0.8 mm. Grain obovate to oblong, 0.6–0.9 mm, apex truncate. Fl. and fr. May–Aug. 2n = 24.

Nepal, India, Ceylon, Burma, Thailand, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia.

Distribution: Pakistan (Punjab & N.W. F. P.); India to Burma, Sri Lanka and Australia.

100-1400 m

Fl. & Fr. Per.: August-October.

Dry hill slopes, grassy fields, roadsides, beaches. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Japan (Ryukyu Islands), Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand; Australia].

Agrostis diandra Retzius, Observ. Bot. 5: 19. 1788 ["1789"]; A. elongata var. flaccida Roth ex Roemer & Schultes; Sporobolus indicus var. flaccidus (Roth ex Roemer & Schultes) Veldkamp; Vilfa diandra (Retzius) Trinius; V. retzii Steudel, nom. illeg. superfl.

Perennials, Terrestrial, not aquatic, Stems nodes swollen or brittle, Stems ere ct or ascending, Stems caespitose, tufted, or clustered, Stems terete, round in cross section, or polygonal, Stem internodes hollow, Stems with inflorescence less than 1 m tall, Stems, culms, or scapes exceeding basal leaves, Leaves mostly cauline, Leaves conspicuously 2-ranked, distichous, Leaves sheathing at base, Leaf sheath mostly open, or loose, Leaf sheath smooth, glabrous, Leaf sheath or blade keeled, Leaf sheath and blade differentiated, Leaf blades linear, Leaf blades 2-10 mm wide, Leaf blades mostly flat, Leaf blade margins folded, involute, or conduplicate, Leaf blades mostly glabrous, Ligule present, Ligule a fringe of hairs, Inflorescence terminal, Inflorescence a contracted panicle, narrowly paniculate, branches appressed or ascending, Inflorescence solitary, with 1 spike, fascicle, glomerule, head, or cluster per stem or culm, Inflorescence lax, widely spreading, branches drooping, pendulous, Inflorescence branches more than 10 to numerous, Flowers bisexual, Spikelets pedicellate, Spikelets laterally compressed, Spikelet less than 3 mm wide, Spikelets with 1 fertile floret, Spikelets solitary at rachis nodes, Spikelets all alike and fertille, Spikelets bisexual, Spikelets disarticulating above the glumes, glumes persistent, Rachilla or pedicel glabrous, Glumes present, empty bracts, Glumes 2 clearly present, Glumes distinctly unequal, Glumes 1 nerved, Lemmas thin, chartaceous, hyaline, cartilaginous, or membranous, Lemma similar in texture to glumes, Lemma 1 nerved, Lemma glabrous, Lemma apex acute or acuminate, Lemma awnless, Lemma straight, Palea present, well developed, Palea membranous, hyaline, Palea about equal to lemma, Palea 2 nerved or 2 keeled, Stamens 2, Styles 2-fid, deeply 2-branched, Stigmas 2, Fruit - caryopsis, Caryopsis ellipsoid, longitudinally grooved, hilum long-linear.

Agrostis elongata var. flaccida é uma espécie de gramínea do gênero Agrostis, pertencente à família Poaceae.

Sporobolus diandrus là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Hòa thảo. Loài này được (Retz.) P.Beauv. miêu tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1812.