This california clumping perennial grass has finely rolled foliage grows 18 24 in.
Purple three awn grass seed.
Starts growth in early spring and again in late summer.
Purple three awn deserves more attention than it gets.
Aristida purpurea purple three awn is a warm season perennial bunch grass.
Florets are surrounded by a pair of bracts lemma and palea the lemma thicker than the glumes 3 veined the body 6 to 17 mm long whitish to purplish hairless narrowly lance linear with a 3 branched awn at the tip branches all near the same length 2 to 10 cm to 4 inches long all angled at the base and not coiled awns are all initially straight and twist with age.
The palea is obscure and mostly enclosed by the lemma.
This warm season perennial bunchgrass is native to the great plains and grows up to 30 inches tall.
Purple three awn is a short 10 to 20 inch height native grass.
Purpurea purple three awn warm season drought tolerant perennial bunchgrass occurring on well drained soils along roadsides flats benches and mesas.
Purple three awn is used in restoration projects beautification projects and planted ornamentally into pots due to its attractive purple color seed heads.
Its attractive purple tinted seedhead can be seen after periods of rainfall during the growing season.
It makes an interesting addition to any water wise landscape and prefers dry sandy soils in full sun.
It grows throughout all except east texas on both sandy and clay soils.
Provides good forage before going to seed.
It is frequently seen along roadsides and is good for poor infertile or dry soils.