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Wiregrass, also called pineland threeawn, is one of the most
common grasses in the southern pine flatwoods and upland sandhills. It is a favorite food of gopher tortoises and quail and provides valuable cover for many birds, reptiles, and small mammals. The young plants may also be used as a forage by livestock. |
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This is a fast growing species that regenerates quickly after fires. The plant depends on regular summer burning in order to stimulate flowering and seed production. Wiregrass is often confused with a similar plant, piney woods dropseed (Sporobolus junceus), which also has long, thin, wiry leaves. However, wiregrass has small tufts of hair at the leaf base; the dropseed stems are smooth and hairless. Wiregrass is limited to the southeastern United States. It ranges from Mississippi to Florida but only as far north as South Carolina. |
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