Sporobolus contractus
Spike dropseed
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Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Sporobolus contractus (Spike dropseed) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by spike-like dense inflorescence, short anthers.
Spike dropseed is a California native perennial found in the White and Inyo Mountains and desert regions in rocky to sandy washes, slopes, and woodland at elevations of 400 to 2,300 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces green to lead-colored spikelets in dense, spike-like inflorescences. Growing with tufted, erect stems 40 to 120 centimeters tall, it forms distinctive clumps with conspicuous leaf bases. Its leaves are 5 to 35 centimeters long, 3 to 8 millimeters wide, with distinctive ciliate margins and a leaf collar bearing prominent hairs up to 4 millimeters long. The fruit is a small, light-brown ellipsoid seed approximately 0.8 to 1.2 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 6 sympatric species; key features are spike-like dense inflorescence, short anthers
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky to sandy washes, slopes, scrub, woodland
Elevation: 400-2300 m
California counties: San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Inyo, Imperial, Los Angeles
Outside California: to Utah, Colorado, Texas, northern Mexico
Bloom period
Sporobolus contractus blooms Aug-Oct.
How to tell it apart
vs Typha: Typha (cattails) has thick, sausage-like brown flower spikes and wide strap-like leaves, not grass flowers.; vs Distichlis: Distichlis forms stiff colonies in salt marshes with distinctly two-ranked leaves, lacking ciliate sheaths.; vs Muhlenbergia: Sporobolus has fringed hairs on leaf sheath margins; Muhlenbergia sheaths are smooth.; vs Leymus: Leymus has spike-like inflorescences with spikelets in pairs, not the open panicles of Sporobolus.; vs Oloptum: Oloptum has prominent bent awns and plumose hairs; Sporobolus is awnless with ciliate sheaths.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sporobolus contractus native to California?
Yes. Sporobolus contractus is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Sporobolus contractus bloom?
Sporobolus contractus blooms Aug-Oct.
Where in California does Sporobolus contractus grow?
Sporobolus contractus occurs in San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Inyo, Imperial, Los Angeles, at elevations of 400-2300 m.
What plant family does Sporobolus contractus belong to?
Sporobolus contractus is in the Poaceae family, genus Sporobolus.
What habitat does Sporobolus contractus grow in?
Sporobolus contractus grows in Rocky to sandy washes, slopes, scrub, woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.