| Author | (Torrey) Lamson-Scribner | |
| Distribution | Sandhills and Coastal Plain, absent from the northern portions of the Coastal Plain. One population in the lower Piedmont of Montgomery County.
Coastal Plain, central and southern NJ; southeastern VA to central SC. | |
| Abundance | Uncommon to locally frequent in the Coastal Plain and Sandhills; very rare in the Piedmont. This is an S3 species, widespread and numerous enough (22 county records) that it probably no longer needs to be treated as a Watch List species. | |
| Habitat | Moist ecotones of blackwater streamheads, wet Longleaf Pine savannas and their ecotones of pocosins, pitcher-plant seepages. |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting June-September. Dependent on fire to trigger flowering (although some plants may flower following mowing or cutting). | |
| Identification | Pinebarren Sandreed is notable for its large (2-3 feet across) tussocks with leaves horizontal or arching and radiating in 360 degrees. Unlike Carolina Wiregrass (Aristida stricta), the leaves are flat in cross-section. Flowering stems routinely reach 4 feet high, terminated by an open and airy inflorescence 6 inches to a foot long. Stems grow from very tough, very thick, shiny, horizontal rhizomes. In autumn, leaves turn orangey yellow. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | For many decades treated as Calamovilfa brevipilis, but recent molecular research suggests that this genus is nested within Sporobolus. However, we will follow Weakley et al (2025) and retain it as Calamovilfa.
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| Other Common Name(s) | None | |
| State Rank | S3 | |
| Global Rank | G4 | |
| State Status | W1 | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | OBL link |
| USACE-emp | OBL link |
