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Parks Canada
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Description
- Can be challenging to identify, this annual plant grows 30 to 50 cm tall. It is branched at the base and grows in tufts or dense clumps.
- Stems are wiry and often rough; the leaves are 5 to 15 cm long and less than 1 mm wide. The “awns” referred to in its name are bristle-like structures attached to the bract (specialized leaf) that encloses the flower of the grass.
- Inconspicuous flowers appear in August and continue into October.
- Seeds are dispersed by wind and animals.
Habitat
- Sand barrens
Threats
- Impacted by cottage/recreation development, extraction of sand, and by all-terrain vehicles.
- Planting of conifers, especially scot’s pine Pinus sylvestris, may out-compete forked three awned grass in some areas.
For more information about the Forked Three Awned Grass in the Georgian Bay area, contact:
Georgian Bay Islands National Park
Ecologist
901 Wye Valley Road
Midland, Ontario
L4R 4K6
Phone:
705-526-9804