Skip to main content

Florida 4-H Forest Ecology

Florida 4-H Forest Ecology

Wiregrass: Identifying Characteristics

Habitat:
Wiregrass grows prolifically in flatwoods and dry sandhills. It is a common understory cover in longleaf pine forests and on newly burned sites.

Size/Form:
Wiregrass is a perennial bunchgrass that grows in dense, spreading tufts, reaching heights of 1½' to 3'.

Leaves:
The leaves are long, thin, wiry, or needle-like with tufts of fine, white fuzz around the leaf base. Margins are rolled inward.

Flowers:
Wiregrass flowers are tiny and close to the flower stalk with 3 distinct hair-like awns protruding from each flower.

Fruit:
The fruit is a tiny, yellowish grain containing a single seed.