|                    Arrowfeather threeawn
                      |  
              
                |                    Aristida purpurascens  
                      |  
              
                |                    Poaceae 
                      |  
  
              
                 Landscape Uses:
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                 Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.  Also butterfly gardens. | 
               
                Ecological Restoration Notes:  | 
               
              
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                 An occasional understory grass in a wide variety of open upland and wetland ecosytems. | 
               
              
                | Availability: | 
               
              
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                 Grown by enthusiasts and occasionally by native plant nurseries.  | 
               
              
                | Description: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Medium herbaceous clumping grass. | 
               
              
                | Height: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Typically 1-2 feet in height; to 3 feet when in flower.  Typically taller than broad. | 
               
              
                | Growth Rate: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Fast. | 
               
              
                | Range: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Eastern United States west to Texas and south to the Monroe County Keys; West Indies, Mexico and Central America. | 
               
              
                | Habitats: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Pinelands, prairies and coastal uplands. | 
               
              
                | Soils: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Moist to seasonally wet, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, without humus. | 
               
              
                | Nutritional Requirements: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils. | 
               
              
                | Salt Water Tolerance: | 
               
              
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                 Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water. | 
               
              
                | Salt Wind Tolerance: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without significant injury. | 
               
              
                | Drought Tolerance: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 High; does not require any supplemental water once established. | 
               
              
                | Light Requirements: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Full sun. | 
               
              
                | Flower Color: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Light brown inflorescence. | 
               
              
                | Flower Characteristics: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Inconspicuous. | 
               
              
                | Flowering Season: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Summer-fall. | 
               
              
                | Fruit: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Noticable caryopsis with three long awns. | 
               
              
                | Wildlife and Ecology: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Larval host for Meske's skipper (Hesperia meskei). | 
               
                     
                | Horticultural Notes: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Can be grown from seed. | 
               
              
                | Comments: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Spreads readily from seed in the garden and can become weedy.  Our treatment here includes Hillsboro threeawn (A. purpurascens var. tenuispica). | 
               
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