Bahiagrass

I remember Bahiagrass from my childhood. In the summer when you waited too long to cut the grass, or even when you didn’t, there they would be - the Y-shaped seed heads sticking up above the lawn. I considered them a scourge, until I looked closer.

Bahiagrass is native to South America, and was introduced into the United States in Florida, where it was used as a forage crop, and it primarily grows in the southeast. Because it is aggressive and drought-tolerant, SC Department of Transportation began using it as erosion control along highways and on slopes, which lead to one of its nicknames, and what my grandmother calls it, “highway grass”.

While it is planted for forage, I don’t know anyone who intentionally grows it in their yard. I think it just shows up, by wind, runoff, or a landscaper’s mower. I have a yard full, and it’s fine most of the year, but in June when it starts growing, I have to mow twice a week just to manage it.

I continue to loathe cutting it in the summer, but maybe I’ll remember how interesting and beautiful it looks up close.