Invasive grass - need ID/help

[Ruark]

Can somebody tell me what kind of weed or "grassy weed" this is? I'm sure you've seen it. It grows "flat" with stems radiating out up to 2 feet or longer, then they curve upward into vertical stems sticking straight up 12-18 inches. Sometimes the entire plant can be almost 4 feet wide. About half of our front yard is now consumed by this stuff, and it's spreading rapidly in our pastures. The rest is bermuda.

If you dig it up, it leaves a hole in the ground the size of a salad bowl. Is there any way to control it, or can we at least identify it? These pics were right after mowing it. The center part looks dry and dead, and the radiating stems are green.

One person said it was "Dallisgrass" but to me Dallisgrass looks sparser - this stuff is really thick. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[1982vett]

Looks like KR Bluestem or a variant of a bluestem

 

[dun]

What do the seed heads look like? The growth pattern resembles goosegrass.

 

[fenceman]

I agree looks like king ranch bluestem.Kr puts up a tall stalk with a seed head similar to bermuda.

 

[Rafter S]

I can't tell much from those pictures on my phone, but the description sounds a lot like smutgrass.

Edit: After looking at the pictures and reading the description again it's not smutgrass. The others are probably right about it being King Ranch bluestem. I can see why you wouldn't want it in your yard or hay field, but it's pretty good for grazing. I understand the food value is pretty good, and it's drought tolerant. One drawback is that it is slow to green up in the spring.

 

[Ruark]

I think it's KR bluestem. It grows very flat, right over the surface, mixed in with the Bermuda, then puts up a tall stalk about like a pencil lead, with a Bermuda-like seed head. Nothing kills it selectively, you have to use glyphosate in early spring, then let other grasses grow over it. Even then it can still come back. Pastora @ 1 oz. per acre reportedly kills it, but that's "off-label."