Longleaf Three-awn

Aristida palustris

Found in wet pine savannas and flatwoods, limesink depressions. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

Modest

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Height: Up to about 5 feet
Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Moist to wet

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At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: August to October

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 10 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Pine savannas

Open, fire-kept longleaf pine stands over grasses and wildflowers on wet to moist sandy soil.

Pine flatwoods

Flat, sandy Coastal Plain pine woodlands, wetter than sandhills and denser than savannas.

Depression ponds and limesinks

Shallow ponds in Coastal Plain depressions, such as limesinks and the ponds in some Carolina bays, that rise and fall with the seasons.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 121 animals.

Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Northern Shoveler
Anas clypeata
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Northern Waterthrush
Seiurus noveboracensis
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Painted Bunting
Passerina ciris
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Purple Gallinule
Porphyrio martinica
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Ring-necked Duck
Aythya collaris
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Accipiter striatus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Swallow-tailed Kite
Elanoides forficatus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Birds. 2 shared habitats
White Ibis
Eudocimus albus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Wood Duck
Aix sponsa
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Wood Stork
Mycteria americana
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-breasted Chat
Icteria virens
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-crowned Night-heron
Nyctanassa violacea
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dendroica coronata
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Acadian Flycatcher
Empidonax virescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Coot
Fulica americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Pipit
Anthus rubescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

2CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Aristida

Doryodes bistrialisDouble-Lined Doryodes
Hesperia attalusDotted Skipper

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

0BeesSoutheastern regional records

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Poaceae
Flower color: Green or brown

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “August to October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Green or brown” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Height · “Up to about 5 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Light · “Full sun (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Soil · “Moist; Wet (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Aristida affinis; Longleaf Three awn

Conservation status

Alabama rank	SNR
Global rank	G4
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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Longleaf Three-awn

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

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