Aristida purpurea var. longiseta Steud. Red Threeawn Habit: Densely tufted glaucous perennial. Culms: 10-30 cm. tall, erect, mostly in rather large bunches, freely branching. Blades: Strongly involute, 2-11 cm. long, curved or flexuous. Sheaths: Shorter than the internodes, more or less crowded towards the base, glabrous or a few rather long hairs at the throat, those of new shoots more hairy. Inflorescence: Panicle erect but not stiff, narrow, up to about 13 cm. long, the branches ascending or appressed, or the lower curved, bearing the few (10-15) spikelets towards the ends (1-3 to a branch). Spikelets: Purplish, 1-flowered, narrow. Glumes: 1-nerved, narrowed to an awnless or only mucronate apex, the first 8-12 mm., keel scabrous, the second about twice as long, glabrous. Lemmas: Terete, 12-16 mm. long, only slightly narrowed above, glabrous or the upper part scaberulous, but scarcely tuberculate, triple awned, the awns about equal, divergent, 6-11 cm. long, flat and sometimes slightly contorted at the base. Palea: Thin, included by the lemma. Habitat: Dry or sandy soil, plains and foothills. May-August. Kansas Range: West two thirds. Remarks: At its best in disturbed areas. Synonyms: Aristida purpurea Nutt. var. longiseta (Steud.) Vasey Aristida longiseta Steud. Aristida longiseta Steud. var. robusta Merr. Aristida longiseta Steud. var. rariflora A.S. Hitchc. Aristida purpurea Nutt. var. robusta (Merr.) Piper