NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Aristida stricta [= Aristida stricta var. stricta]

Carolina Wiregrass, Pineland Three-awn

Scientific Name:	Aristida stricta [= Aristida stricta var. stricta]
Genus:	Aristida
Species Epithet:	stricta
Common Name:	Carolina Wiregrass, Pineland Three-awn
Plant Type	Grass/Sedge/Rush
Life Cycle	Perennial
Plant Family	Poaceae (Grass Family)
Native/Alien:	NC Native
Invasive Status:	^(*Key)
Size:	1-3 ft.
Light:	Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day, Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day
Soil Moisture:	Dry, Moist, Wet
Bloom Time:	September, October, November
Growing Area:	Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain
Habitat Description:	Coastal Plain pinelands of nearly all sorts, ranging from the driest white-sand sandhills to seasonally saturated pine savannas dominated by a mixture of longleaf pine and pond pine, largely or entirely replaced in the wettest savannas by Sporobolus teretifolius, Sporobolus pinetorum, Muhlenbergia expansa, Ctenium aromaticum, and Calamovilfa brevipilis; also in Piedmont areas adjacent to the Coastal Plain and formerly supporting fire-maintained longleaf pine woodlands. Common in NC coastal plain, rare in piedmont. Endemic to NC + SC.
Leaf Arrangement:	Basal
Leaf Retention:	Deciduous
Leaf Type:	Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like
Leaf Form:	Simple
Life Cycle:	Perennial
Wildlife Value:	Important for Wildlife
Landscape Value:	Not Recommended for home landscapes
State Rank:	S4: Apparently secure, S5: Secure ^(*Key)
Global Rank:	G4 - Apparently Secure, G5 - Secure ^(*Key)
Notes:	Weakley (2015): "A. stricta was the keystone species of much of the upland Coastal Plain of the Carolinas. Its flammable foliage facilitated the spread of lightning-set fires that maintained the biologically rich pine savanna, sandhill, and pine flatwood ecosystems once widespread in our area. Though still locally common in parts of the Sandhill region and in portions of Brunswick, Pender, Onslow, and Carteret counties, NC, A. stricta is much rarer than formerly. The conversion of vast acreages of former pinelands to agriculture, pine tree farms, and developed areas has taken its toll over the years. In the twentieth century, suppression of fire has also led to the destruction of A. stricta. More recently, pine-straw raking is leading to the serious decline of A. stricta in its few remaining strongholds on public lands. A. stricta has little tolerance for ground disturbance." Highly flammable, so it should not be planted close to houses and other structures.
Typically found in longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) savannahs. Nick’s Creek Preserve, Moore Co.,NC Bettina Darveaux
Wiry, clump-forming grass. Nick’s Creek Preserve, Moore Co., NC Bettina Darveaux
Will only produce viable seed if burned during the growing season. Nick’s Creek Preserve, Moore Co., NC Bettina Darveaux
Links:	USDA PLANTS Database Record NC Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aristida-stricta/ Vascular Plants of NC: https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/flora/species_account.php 700 Bird-friendly Plants for NC: https://nc.audubon.org/700