Smutgrass

Scientific Name - Sporobolus indicus (L.) R. Br.
[Sporobolus poiretii (Roem. & Schult.) Hitchc.]
Family - Gramineae

Tufted perennial with erect stems. Leaf blade flat to usually folded at base of plant becoming rounded toward the tip. Seedhead very narrow or with spreading branches. Seeds infected with black fungus (smut) or unaffected and brown. Reproduces by seed. Occurs in turf, pastures, and roadsides. Found throughout the southeast United States, from Virginia into Florida and Texas, inland to Oklahoma and Missouri. Also found in the West Indies, Central and South America, Japan and the Philippines. Native to Tropical America.