Scientific Family
Poaceae
Synonyms
Aristida schiedeana var. minor, Muhlenbergia scabra, M. tenuis, Ortachne scabra, O.tenuis, Streptachne cubensis, S. scabra, S. tenuisÂ
Other common names
spider threeawn
Plant type
Grasses
Riparian
No
Grass Description
Origin
Native
Season
Warm
Rocky or sandy slopes and plateaus, often along roadsides and other disturbed areas.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
0
High elevation
6000
General Description
Coarse, tufted grass; seedhead stems erect to sprawling, seedheads airy; roots tough and wiry.
Blades up to 16 inches long, roll inward toward their end tapering to a fine point; basal portion of awn not spirally twisted; lateral awn branches less than 1/16 inch long or wanting; lemma not articulate (jointed) with the base of the awn.
Grass type
Perennial bunchgrass
Rhizomes
No
Stolons
No
Clump Diameter 2 ft or more
No
Bushy - highly branched
No
Height with Seedheads
24 inches or more
Seedhead Structure
Branched - open and spreading
Seedhead droops
No
First bloom month
August
Last bloom month
October
Flower Characteristics
Flowers per Spikelet
One-flowered
Spikelets One-Sided
No
Awns
1/4 inch to 1 inch
Three Awns
Yes
Awns bent
Yes
Flower and Seedhead Notes
Seedhead 1/3 to 1/2 the length of the flower stem, branches few, spread away from the central stem, hairy in axils. Awns not or only slightly twisted. Central awns <1/2 to 1 inch, straight to curving; lateral awns absent or to 1 inch long.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blade is hairy
Yes
Blade margins white
No
Blade cross-section
Flat
Folded
Blades 2 to 6 inches long, <1/8 inch wide, flat to folded, straight to lax at maturity, lower surfaces with scattered, <1/8 inch hairs near the collar.
Sheath is hairy
No
Tufts of hair top of sheath or collar
No
Ligule
Membranous
Auricles
No
Fair to poor. It greens up after the spring rains more rapidly than most grasses and is used most heavily at this time. It is grazed lightly after other, more palatable grasses begin to grow.