| Author | (L.) R. Brown | |
| Distribution | Throughout most of the state, apparently less often in the Mountains.
Pantropical, the northern limit of native occurrence is debatable and perhaps "obscured by its weedy tendancies" (Weakley 2018). In the U.S. it occurs from southern FL to southeastern VA, TN, AR, and TX; disjunct to NJ. Weakley (2018) shows it as a native species in the Southeast, but the website editors suggest it likely is not native to NC. | |
| Abundance | Frequent to common in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont, uncommon in the Mountains. | |
| Habitat | Dry sandy roadsides, lawns, pastures, disturbed ground. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting July-October. | |
| Identification | Smutgrass stems grow 1-2 feet tall (taller where not mown) from tough, fibrous roots (not rhizomes). The inflorescence is terminal, up to a foot long, very slender, and has many very short branches. From a distance many inflorescences look like unbranched spikes. They upper leaves often are blackish, due to a fungus. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
Recent molecular research suggests that Calamovilfa and Spartina are nested deeply within Sporobolus. Weakley (2020) proposes that they remain split until a long-term solution is found, as their members are monophyletic. | |
| Other Common Name(s) | | |
| State Rank | SE? | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FACU link |
| USACE-emp | FACU link |
