Southern wiregrass
Aristida stricta
Poaceae


Landscape Uses:

Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also useful as a base plant for wildflower gardens.

Ecological Restoration Notes:

An occasional understory grass in a wide variety of pinelands and drier prairies in South Florida.
Availability:
Native plant nurseries.
Description:
Medium herbaceous clumping grass, with narrow in-rolled leaves.
Height:
Typically 1-2 feet in height; to 3 feet when in flower. As broad as tall except when flowering.
Growth Rate:
Moderate.
Range:
Southeastern United States south to Miami-Dade and Collier counties. More common to the north of our area.
Habitats:
Pinelands and scrub.
Soils:
Moist to dry, well-drained sandy soils, without humus.
Nutritional Requirements:
Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance:
Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance:
High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements:
Full sun.
Flower Color:
Brownish inflorescence.
Flower Characteristics:
Semi-showy inflorescence.
Flowering Season:
Spring-fall.
Fruit:
Inconspicuous caryopsis.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Provides food for birds and attracts pollinators. An obligate of fire-maintained ecosystems, southern wiregrass requires fire for successful flowering and seed set.
Horticultural Notes:
Can be grown from seed.
Comments:
See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's Flower Friday page.


Shirley Denton
Shirley Denton
Shirley Denton
Shirley Denton
Shirley Denton