| Author | (Beauvois) Kunth | |
| Distribution | Lower Piedmont, Sandhills; scattered in the Coastal Plain. Ranges west only to Mecklenburg County.
Coastal Plain and Piedmont, VA to TN and AR, south to southern FL and southern TX. | |
| Abundance | Frequent in the Sandhills and adjacent southwestern Coastal Plain; uncommon in the southeastern Piedmont, but quite rare in most of the Coastal Plain. Plants usually scattered and well-spaced. | |
| Habitat | Dry to xeric Longleaf Pine uplands and flats, mafic glades, woodland openings on mafic or slaty soils. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting September-November. | |
| Identification | This elegant grass usually grows about 2 feet tall, occasionally to 3 feet. Most leaves occur in a tuft or small tussock at the base of the plant; they are slender, up to 1 foot long but less than 2 mm wide, glaucescent in color. The inflorescence is terminal, the short branches in whorls of 2-6. The spikelets are a combination of red-purple, yellow, and blue-gray. | |
| 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) | Sandhill Dropseed | |
| State Rank | S4 | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
