Sporobolus sp.
Dropseed, sacaton, Sacaton
Family: Poaceae · Type: Perennial · Variable; species dependent
Sporobolus sp. (Dropseed) is a non-native California perennial in the Poaceae family.
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 sp. native to California?
No. Sporobolus sp. is not native to California (recorded as variable; species dependent).
What plant family does Sporobolus sp. belong to?
Sporobolus sp. is in the Poaceae family, genus Sporobolus.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Sporobolus vaginiflorus — Poverty dropseed
- Sporobolus wrightii — Big sacaton
- Sporobolus airoides — Alkali sacaton
- Sporobolus alopecuroides — Foxtail prickle grass
- Sporobolus alterniflorus — Salt-water cord grass
- Sporobolus contractus — Spike dropseed
- Stenotaphrum secundatum — Saint augustine grass
- Stenotaphrum sp.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-04-14
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.