Scientific Family
Poaceae
Synonyms
Aristida purpurea</i> var.<i>fendleriana</i>
Plant type
Grasses
Riparian
No
Grass Description
Origin
Native
Season
Warm
Sandy or rocky hills, plateaus, and forest openings at higher elevations.
Plant Community
Interior Chaparral
Montane Conifer Forest
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Low elevation
5000
High elevation
6500
Similar species
Aristida longiseta
General Description
Tufted perennial growing erect, branched at base.
Blades crowded toward the base. Seedhead stems slender, upper branches ascending or appressed; seedhead few-flowered; awn 3/4 to 2 inches long; basal portion short, not twisted. Has narrower lemma apices and thinner, shorter awns than A. longiseta.
Grass type
Perennial bunchgrass
Rhizomes
No
Stolons
No
Clump Diameter 2 ft or more
No
Bushy - highly branched
No
Height with Seedheads
12 inches or more
Seedhead Structure
Branched - open and spreading
Seedhead droops
No
First bloom month
May
Last bloom month
September
Flower Characteristics
Flowers per Spikelet
Multi-flowered
Spikelets One-Sided
No
Awns
Greater than 1 inch
Three Awns
Yes
Awns bent
No
Flower and Seedhead Notes
Seedheads usually 1 to 6 inches long, nodding, narrow and loose, usually a multi-branched seedhead (panicle). Spikelets pressed closed to main axis.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blade is hairy
No
Blade margins white
No
Blade cross-section
Involute – rolled inward on upper surface
Leaf blades mostly basal and curly 1/16 to 1/8 inch wide and 1-1/2 to 4 inches long.
Sheath is hairy
No
Tufts of hair top of sheath or collar
No
Ligule
Membranous
Auricles
No
Poor. One of the poorest forages of our common range grasses. Palatability is low, particularly after the plants are mature.