| Author | (Pursh) Steudel | |
| Distribution | Throughout the state, including the Outer Banks/barrier islands.
ME to ND, south to FL and TX. | |
| Abundance | Common throughout, except uncommon in the Mountains. | |
| Habitat | Dry to mesic sandy soil of fields, roadsides, clearings, railroad margins, woodland openings and edges. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting August-October. | |
| Identification | The plants are relatively short and broad, with a very open, airy, hemispheric, red-purple to rosy pink inflorescence. Two other NC grasses have a similar look in the field -- Digitaria cognata has spikelets that are rounded or hemispheric in cross-section (vs. flattened), and Muhlenbergia capillaris also has flattened spikelets, but they are only one-flowered (vs. 6-12 flowers in E. spectabilis). | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
Species in the genus Eragrostis -- the lovegrasses -- often have inflorescences that are larger than the rest of the plant. Such inflorescences are very open and airy, but other species have more contracted inflorescences. Each spikelet is laterally compressed and contains few to many florets, which lack awns. | |
| Other Common Name(s) | Tumblegrass | |
| State Rank | S5 | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FACU link |
| USACE-emp | UPL link |
