Aristida stricta

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Aristida stricta
Aristida stricta.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Aristida
Species:
A. stricta
Binomial name
Aristida stricta

Aristida stricta, known as wiregrass or pineland three-awn grass, is a warm-season grass native to North America. The species dominates understory vegetation in sandhills and flatwoods coastal plain ecosystems of the Carolinas in the Southeastern United States. [1] [2] Its appearance is characterized by villous bristles (indument) on each side of its midrib and on the back of the involute leaf blade. [3]

Contents

Aristida stricta ranges in size, but can reach a width of 15 centimeters at the base. [4] The species' leaves are approximately 0.5 meters in length, [4] with two to three leaves per tiller. [5] The seeds of A. stricta are approximately 4.5 millimeters in length and 0.4 millimeters in width; a translucent brown in color. [4]

Taxonomy and etymology

The common name of Aristida stricta, wiregrass, gave rise to the naming of the Wiregrass Region in which it is located. [6] The species was first described by André Michaux in 1803. [7] In 1993, the southern population of the species was split off and described as Aristida beyrichiana because of geographic and morphological differences. The two species were treated as an "Aristida stricta sensu lato species complex". [1] However, a decade later, further anatomical studies suggested that the two species did not have sufficient morphological differences to be considered separate. [8] As of 2024, Plants of the World Online accepted Aristida beyrichiana as separate from A. stricta. [9]

Ecology

Most commonly found in longleaf pine savannas, [10] this is a fast-growing species that regenerates quickly after fires (specimens may experience up to 2.5 centimeters of growth per day following a fire). [5] The plant depends on regular summer burning in order to stimulate flowering and seed production, [11] with May burns resulting in the greatest subsequent abundance of reproductive tiller. [5] Additionally, A. stricta plays a foundational role in the facilitation of burns as its foliage accelerates the spread of lightning-set fires to the rest of the ecosystem. [12]

Conservation, cultivation, and restoration

A. stricta has been observed to have a negative association with agricultural history, [13] as well as with general soil disturbance. [14] However, it has been observed to have a positive association with a system's burn frequency. [13]

There have been efforts to restore wiregrass communities, in which A. stricta is propagated from seed and then planted. [15] A study conducted by the Tall Timbers Research Station found that plugs of A. stricta possessed the ability to dominate a low-density area of land through reproduction over the span of decades. [16]

References

  1. 1 2 Peet 1993, p. 25.
  2. Fill, Jennifer M.; Moule, Brett M.; Varner, J. Morgan; Mousseau, Timothy A. (March 2016). "Flammability of the keystone savanna bunchgrass Aristida stricta". Plant Ecology. 217 (3): 331–342. Bibcode:2016PlEco.217..331F. doi:10.1007/s11258-016-0574-0. hdl: 10919/97893 . ISSN   1385-0237.
  3. Peet 1993, p. 26.
  4. 1 2 3 Clewell, Andre F. (1989). "Natural History of Wiregrass (Aristida strida Michx., Gramineae)". Natural Areas Journal. 9 (4): 223–233. ISSN   0885-8608.
  5. 1 2 3 Parrott, RT. 1967. A study of wiregrass (Aristida stricta Michx.) with a particular reference to fire. M.S. thesis, Duke University, Durham, NC
  6. Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 255. ISBN   0-915430-00-2.
  7. "Astrida stricta". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  8. Kesler, Anderson & Hermann 2003, p. 9.
  9. "Astrida beyrichiana". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  10. Fill, Jennifer M.; Moule, Brett M.; Varner, J. Morgan; Mousseau, Timothy A. (March 2016). "Flammability of the keystone savanna bunchgrass Aristida stricta". Plant Ecology. 217 (3): 331–342. doi:10.1007/s11258-016-0574-0. hdl: 10919/97893 . ISSN   1385-0237.
  11. Outcalt, Kenneth W.; Williams, Marcus E.; Onokpise, Oghenekome (1999). "Restoring Aristida stricta to Pinus palustris Ecosystems on the Atlantic Coastal Plain, U.S.A." . Restoration Ecology. 7 (3): 262–270. Bibcode:1999ResEc...7..262O. doi:10.1046/j.1526-100X.1999.72019.x. ISSN   1061-2971.
  12. Weakley, Alan (2020). Flora of the southeastern United States. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Herbarium.
  13. 1 2 Hedman, C. W.; Grace, S. L.; King, S. E. (2000-09-01). "Vegetation composition and structure of southern coastal plain pine forests: an ecological comparison" . Forest Ecology and Management. 134 (1): 233–247. doi:10.1016/S0378-1127(99)00259-5. ISSN   0378-1127.
  14. Hebb, E. A. (1971). "Site Preparation Decreases Game Food Plants in Florida Sandhills" . The Journal of Wildlife Management. 35 (1): 155–162. doi:10.2307/3799884. ISSN   0022-541X.
  15. Seamon, P. A., and R. L. Myers. 1992. Propagating wiregrass from seed. Palmetto, v. 12, no. 4, p. 6-7.
  16. Laucevicius, Anthony M.; Robertson, Kevin M.; Means, D. Bruce; Mitchell, Trina R.; Taylor, Porter B. (July 2021). "Expansion and population structure of transplanted Aristida beyrichiana (wiregrass) tussocks: results of a 37‐year study" . Restoration Ecology. 29 (5). doi:10.1111/rec.13404. ISSN   1061-2971.

Bibliography

Further reading