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Purple Threeawn (Aristida purpurea): Airy Purple Haze in Desert Gardens

Overview

Purple Threeawn (Red Threeawn, Wiregrass) is a warm-season, perennial bunchgrass native to western North America. It forms a low tuft of fine, curly leaves. In summer, it produces a cloud of airy, purple-red spikelets with three long awns (hence "threeawn") that catch the light beautifully, creating a purple haze. Grows 1-2 feet tall.

Taxonomy & Nomenclature

Family:	Poaceae (poh-AY-see-ee)
Genus:	Aristida (ar-RISS-ti-duh)
Species:	purpurea (pur-PUR-ee-uh)

Synonyms: Aristida purpurea var. purpurea, Aristida longiseta, Aristida purpurea var. robusta, Aristida purpurea var. longiseta, Aristida purpurea var. glauca.

Cultivation & Uses

Full sun; dry, well-drained, sandy or rocky soil. Extremely drought-tolerant. Ideal for xeriscapes, rock gardens, dry meadows, and naturalistic plantings. The purple haze is stunning when backlit. Short-lived but self-sows. Low maintenance.

Grasses and Bamboo: Red Apple Ice Plant Purple Spots: Fungal or Bacterial?; Young Sarracenia purpurea Leaf Dieback: Normal Dormancy Transition; Purple Fountain Grass: Division, Seeds, and Overwintering in Zone 7b; Purple Fountain Grass 'Red Riding Hood' (Pennisetum setaceum 'Red Riding Hood'); Fountain Grass 'Red Head' (Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Red Head'); Melic Grass 'Red Spires' (Melica transsilvanica): A Compact Grass with Reddish Flower Spikes; Purple Love Grass (Eragrostis spectabilis): Cloud of Purple Haze in Late Summer; Wiregrass (Aristida stricta var. beyrichiana): Keystone Species of Longleaf Pine Ecosystems; Wiregrass (Aristida stricta var. beyrichiana): Keystone Longleaf Pine Understory Grass; Purple Moor Grass (Molinia caerulea): A Native European Grass with Airy Purple Panicles

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