Native Plants

Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:

Sporobolus indicus

Sporobolus indicus (L.) R. Br.

Smut Grass

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Synonym(s): Sporobolus tenacissimus

USDA Symbol: SPIN4

USDA Native Status: L48 (NI), HI (I), PR (N), VI (I)

This species includes botanical varieties that are North American natives. However, it also includes botanical varieties that are not native to North America, e.g. Sporobolus indicus var. capensis, Rat-tail Grass. Non-native taxa are not treated in this database.

From the Image Gallery

No images of this plant

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual , Perennial
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Fruit Type: Caryopsis
Size Notes: Up to about 4 feet tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Green , Brown
Bloom Time: Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , CA , FL , GA , KY , LA , MD , MO , MS , NC , NJ , OK , SC , TN , TX , VA
Native Distribution: Although USDA Plants lists this species as introduced in the US, ARS GRIN considers it native in the states listed.

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACU		FACU	FACU	FACU	FACU	FACU	FACU	FACU	FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

Web Reference

Webref 57 - Atlas of Florida Plants (2020) Institute for Systematic Botany
Webref 30 - Calflora (2018) Calflora
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Sporobolus indicus in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Sporobolus indicus in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Sporobolus indicus

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-10-31
Research By: SET

Go back