Slender Mountain Rice Grass
The early flowers of Northern woods, arbutus, yellow adder's tongue, and dicentra, have long been honoured as heralds of spring, while the lesser blossoms of shade-loving early grasses and sedges have been passed unnoted. Yet, the grasses, too, brave inclement winds and frosts, and without them the forest floors would seem bare indeed.
Slender Mountain Rice (Oryzopsis pungens) is another grass of early spring, and, although it is usually less common than the other species, it may be looked for near open woods and on dry and rocky soil.
The short, narrow panicle rises above thread-like leaves, and the whitish spikelets are occasionally tinged with purple.