Sporobolus asper var. hookeri (Trin.) Vasey, meadow dropseed 
DESCRIPTION 
Warm~season, perennial bunch grass. 
Height: 2 to 4 feet. 
Leaf blade: Flat; narrow; at least 20 inches long; rolls in- 
ward, becoming threadlike at tip. 
Leaf sheath: Shorter than internodes; upper sheath, often 
inflated, encloses seedhead. 
Ligule: Short, hairy membrane. 
Seedhead: Narrow purplish panicle usually 3 to 8 inches 
long; spikelets 1-flowered, wedge shaped. 
GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS 
Growth starts in late winter or early spring. Seedheads form in 
August. Some leaves remain green in the dense bunches through 
winter. 
DISTRIBUTION 
Missouri, Kansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, and 
Oklahoma. 
SITE ADAPTATION 
Best adapted to deep clay soils that are intermittently wet and 
dry. Does not grow on soils with a high water table or on deep 
sandy soils. 
USE AND MANAGEMENT 
Meadow dropseed is tough and wiry and is not grazed as read- 
ily as tall or hairy dropseed. Cattle and horses graze it in winter 
when associated grasses are dormant. 
This grass increases on ranges that are grazed only in summer 
because associated grasses are more palatable. If it is the key 
management species during the winter grazing season, no more 
than 50 percent of current year’s growth by weight should be 
grazed off. 
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