Prairie threeawn
Also known as: ticklegrass, oldfield three-awn, wiregrass
Aristida oligantha Michx.
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Morphology
- Culm
- Wiry, hollow, 12 to 24 inches tall, much branched at base, glabrous or slightly scabrous.
- Blades
- Flat or loosely involute, 1.5 to 8 inches long, less than .1 inch wide, tapering to fine point.
- Sheath
- Loose, glabrous to slightly scabrous, often pilose at collar.
- Ligule
- Small, hairy.
- Inflorescence
- Panicle, loose, raceme-like, 4 to 8 inches long; axis often flexuous (zigzag); spikelets few, spreading.
- Spikelets
- Narrow, on very short pedicels, one-flowered; glumes taper to awn-like tips; second glume slightly longer than first; lemma tip three-awned; awns about equal in length, 1.5 to 2.75 inches long, spreading, often spirally curved at base.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Open, dry waste ground, often in sandy soils.
- Distribution
- Eastern three quarters of Kansas.
- Reproduction
- Reproduces by seed.
Practical Information
- Toxicity
- The awns can cause mouth, nose and eye injury in livestock.
- Forage Value
- Prairie threeawn has no forage value.
Additional Notes
Comments
Shallow-rooted. A common invader of overgrazed pastures. Prairie threeawn takes on a whitish hue when mature.
Special Notes: Compare with purple threeawn and arrowfeather threeawn.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Grass
- Family
- Poaceae - Grass Family
- Life Span
- Annual
- Height
- 1 to 2 feet tall
- Last Updated
- 2007-06-28
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: August, September, October