Aristida purpurea var. longiseta Nutt. (Steud.) Vasey
red three-awn (Fendler threeawn)
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
red three-awn (Fendler threeawn)
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
Map
Distribution of Aristida purpurea var. longiseta
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend
Species Information
General:
Perennial, strongly tufted grass from fibrous roots; stems hollow, minutely rough, mostly (15) 20-40 cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths open; blades 1-2 mm wide, 7-25 cm long, in-rolled, minutely rough; ligules scarcely 0.5 mm long, membranous, the frontal margins with hairs 2-3 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a narrow panicle, 5-10 cm long, the branches mostly loosely ascending; lower glumes 7-13 mm long, about 1/2 the length of the upper ones, awn-tipped; florets 10-15 mm long, the calluses flattened, about 1 mm long; lemma awns (4) 5-8 cm long, 3-branched, the lateral branches divergent; paleas 2-2.5 mm long, slightly surpassed by the lodicules.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Early Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Spring
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Aristida purpurea var. longiseta
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
493 | 304 | 1450 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
17 | 0 | 65 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
212 | 20 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
2 | 0 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
95 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BG | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BG(64), IDF(6), MS(2), PP(22) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry grasslands, shrublands and forest openings in the steppe and lower montane zones; frequent in SC BC, less frequent eastward in S BC; E to SW MB and S to LA, TX, NM, AZ and CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Aristida fasciculata
Aristida longiseta Steud.
Aristida longiseta var. rariflora A.S. Hitchc.
Aristida longiseta var. robusta Merr.
Aristida purpurea var. robusta (Merr.) Piper