Aristida stricta
species of plant
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. Its appearance is characterized by villous bristles (indument) on each side of its midrib and on the back of the involute leaf blade.
Aristida stricta ranges in size, but can reach a width of 15 centimeters at the base. The species' leaves are approximately 0.5 meters in length, with two to three leaves per tiller. The seeds of A. stricta are approximately 4.5 millimeters in length and 0.4 millimeters in width; a translucent brown in color.
Taxonomy and etymology
The common name of Aristida stricta, wiregrass, gave rise to the naming of the Wiregrass Region in which it is located. The species was first described by André Michaux in 1803. 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".
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Aristida stricta” is species of plant. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Aristida, stricta and species, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “species of plant” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 2, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q3757710. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1803 and 1993.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Aristida stricta”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Aristida stricta primary sources, Aristida stricta archive and Aristida research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Aristida stricta”?
- Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
- Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Aristida stricta” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.