Sporobolus indicus

west indian dropseed, smut grass, rattail smutgrass, smutgrass, smut-grass
Family

Poaceae

Leaf Arrangement

alternate

Leaf Attachment

sheathing

Leaf Type

cauline, simple

Leaf Shape

linear

Growth Form

graminoid

Flower Color

inconspicuous

Flower Month

March - November

Height (meters)

0.2 - 1.1

Milky Sap

No

Armed/Unarmed

Unarmed

Origin

introduced

Lifespan

annual, perennial

Growing Season

Warm season


Wetland Class

FACU

Prairie Coefficient of Conservatism

-1

Field Characters

Easily distinguished by its long narrow spike-like inflorescence which is nearly always infected with ergot, making is black and smutty.

Cultural Information

Germination is reported to improve with either cold/moist or cold/dry stratification (Steffen 1997).

Animal Use

The following information is for the genus Sporobolus: Animals that eat its seeds: Wild turkey, Lark bunting, Junco, Brewer sparrow, Field sparrow, Savannah sparrow, Tree sparrow, Wite-crowned sparrow. Animals that eat the plants: Bison, White-tailed deer (Martin et al. 1951). Cattle seldom eat smutgrass, especially after the flower stalks are formed.

Natural History

One of ten species of Sporobolus found along the gulf coast of Louisiana and Texas. The common name "smut-grass" comes from the tendency for the inflorescence of this species to be infected with ergot. When an infected inflorescence is brushed, a black smudge is left on clothes. The genus name, Sporobolus, is from the Greek words "spora," or seed and "ballein," to throw, referring to the free seeds. It is found in moist loam soils, in low prairie, old fields, roadsides, disturbed areas throughout Louisiana, and east and southeast Texas. It is widely distributed in the warmer parts of the world, and it is thought to be native to Asia. In America it occurs north to Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

Habitat

Roadsides, fields, waste places, mud, moist loam, low prairies, swales.