Aristida oligantha Michx.
Prairie Threeawn

Habit: 		Annual, much branched.
Culms: 		Tufted, wiry, 30-60 cm. tall, branched at base and at all the nodes, smooth or sometimes slightly rough.
Blades: 	3-15 cm. long, 0.5-2 mm. wide, flat or smooth or with a few hairs, involute, tapering to a fine point.
Sheaths:	Loose, shorter or longer than the internodes, glabrous or often pilose at the throat.
Ligule: 	Small, hairy.
Inflorescence: 	Panicle loose, raceme like, 10-20 cm. long, the axis often flexuous and the few spikelets spreading.
Spikelets: 	Few, narrow, 1-flowered, on short pedicels (about 1 mm. long), the lower often in pairs,
		length of parts variable, rachilla disarticulating above the glumes.
Glumes: 	About equal, 2-3 cm. long, tapering into an awn, first 3-7 nerved, with an awn 3-7 mm. long,
		second 1-nerved, the awn 10 mm. long or more, both scabrous at least on the keel.
Lemmas: 	Exclusive of awn, 17-28 mm. long, 3-nerved, scabrous above, pubescent on the short callus,
		firm, narrow, rigid, strongly convolute, 3-awned at the apex, awns about equal, 3.5-7 cm. long,
		the central sometimes a little longer than the lateral ones, divergent, somewhat spirally curved at base.
Palea: 		Thin, included within the lemma.
Habitat: 	Open, dry, sterile soil.  August-October.
Kansas Range: 	East two thirds.
Remarks: 	A common weedy grass in poorly managed hay meadows, in “go back “ areas, and in areas in central
		Kansas that have been heavily grazed and then grazed at a light rate.