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.