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