[6] The genus includes about 300 species found worldwide, often in arid warm regions.

[7][8][9] The name Aristida is derived from the Latin "arista", meaning "awn".

Other locales where this genus is an important component of the ecosystem include the Carolina Bays, the sandhills of the Carolinas, and elsewhere, Mulga scrub in Australia, and the xeric grasslands around Lake Turkana in Africa.

Local increases in the abundance of wiregrasses is a good indicator of overgrazing, as livestock avoid them.

Aristida stems are ascending to erect, with both basal and cauline leaves.