Pelos del diablo is found on serpentine slopes and red clay soils of southwestern Puerto Rico. In the Sierra Bermeja this grass is found growing on exposed rock crevices, frequently in association with Aristida chasae, a candidate species, and Digitaria eggersii, at elevations between 180 and 301 meters. This species was apparently eliminated from two historic locations, Guanajibo and Hormigueros, as a result of urban and residential expansion. The Cerro Las Mesas site is surrounded by residential development and is currently threatened by the expansion of these areas. In the Sierra Bermeja, tourist and residential development as well as agricultural activity, particularly grazing, threaten the species.
Land clearing occurs frequently in order to enhance grazing operations.
In addition, mining for gold and copper has been proposed for the Sierra Bermeja. Recommendations for management include successional retardation, studies to evaluate the role of fire and competition from introduced grasses, and artificial and natural regeneration studies in order to evaluate the feasibility of the establishment of new populations in protected areas. Hitchcock, A.S. 1936. Manual of the grasses of the West Indies. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Miscellaneous Publication No. 243.