Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Section: Common Name: Scientific Name: Family:
Account for Arrowfeather Three-awn - Aristida purpurascens   Poiret
Members of Poaceae:
Members of Aristida with account distribution info or public map:
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Section 5 » Order Cyperales » Family Poaceae
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AuthorPoiret
DistributionNearly throughout the state; scarce in the Mountains and on the Outer Banks/barrier islands.

MA to WI and KS, south to FL and TX.
AbundanceFairly common to frequent throughout, except uncommon to infrequent in the Mountains and very rare on the Outer Banks/barrier islands.
HabitatDry sandy soil of Longleaf Pine-oak sandhills and sand ridges, pine-oak woodlands and openings, powerline clearings, rock ledges and bluffs, stable dune barrens.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting August-October.
IdentificationThe common name Arrowfeather is apt, from the dense inflorescence that separates it from other three-awn species of its size; these others have sparse inflorescences. Plants usually grow only 1.5-2.5 feet tall. In the Sandhills there are two morphs: one green and one glaucous. Leaves of Carolina Wiregrass (A. stricta) are tightly inrolled (vs. flat in the basal half or longer in A. purpurascens).
Taxonomic CommentsIn older manuals, authors included A. virgata and A. tenuispica as synonyms; but this website and Weakley (2018) split them.

The genus Aristida is most notable for the 3 hairlike awns which project from each floret. The central awn is almost always thicker than the other 2 awns. The awns may stand erect, especially during the early flowering period, but in most species eventually are bent parallel to the ground. In some species, only the central awn is bent, while the other 2 remain erect. In some species, all awns are the same length, while in other species the central awn is distinctly longer. The awns have tiny barbs which catch onto hair and fur, and florets will even hitch a ride up the inside of your pants!
Other Common Name(s)None
State RankS5
Global RankG5
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B.A. SorrieWalthour Moss Foundation, xeric margin of sand road/powerline, Oct 2012. This is glaucous morph. MoorePhoto_natural
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