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Bermudienne à feuilles étroites, blue-eyed grass, narrow-leaf blue-eyed-grass, stout blue-eyed grass

eastern blue-eyed-grass

Habit Herbs, perennial, cespitose, dark olive green to bronze or blackish when dry, to 4.5 dm, not glaucous. Herbs, perennial, cespitose, yellowish to light olive when dry, to 5.7 dm, not glaucous.
Stems

branched, with 1–2 nodes, 2.3–5 mm wide, glabrous, margins often minutely denticulate especially basally, similar in color and texture to stem body;

first internode 10–30 cm, usually longer than leaves;

distalmost node with 1–3 branches.

branched, with 1 or 2 nodes, 0.8–1.9 mm wide, usually glabrous, margins entire, similar in color and texture to stem body;

first internode 11–36 cm, longer than leaves;

distalmost node with 2–3 branches.

Leaf

blades glabrous, bases not persistent in fibrous tufts.

blades usually glabrous, bases occasionally becoming fibrous, but not persistent in tufts.

Inflorescences

borne singly;

spathes usually green, obviously wider than supporting branch, glabrous, keels denticulate to entire;

outer 18–38 mm, 2–9.5 mm longer than inner, usually tapering evenly towards apex, margins basally connate 4–6 mm;

inner with keel evenly curved or straight, hyaline margins 0.1–0.3 mm wide, apex acuminate to acute, ending 0.2–0.7 mm proximal to green apex.

borne singly;

spathes green or occasionally with purplish tinge on margins, obviously wider than supporting branch, glabrous or slightly scabrous, keels entire;

outer 12–16.1 mm, 1.4 mm shorter to 1.5 mm longer than inner, tapering evenly towards apex, margins basally connate 3–5.2 mm;

inner with keel evenly curved or straight, hyaline margins 0.2–0.6 mm wide, apex broadly rounded to truncate, usually erose, ending 0–0.5 mm proximal to green apex or, occasionally, exceeding it by up to 0.5 mm.

Flowers

tepals pale blue to violet, occasionally white, bases yellow;

outer tepals 7.7–12.5 mm, apex rounded or emarginate, aristate;

filaments connate ± entirely, stipitate-glandular basally;

ovary similar in color to foliage.

tepals light blue or bluish violet to purple or occasionally white, bases yellow;

outer tepals 6.3–11 mm, apex emarginate to truncate, aristate;

filaments connate ± entirely, stipitate-glandular basally;

ovary blackish, in contrast with much lighter foliage.

Capsules

dark brown or black, sometimes with purplish tinge, ± globose, 4–7 mm;

pedicel spreading or ascending.

dark brown to black or purplish black, ± globose to obovoid, 2–4.1 mm;

pedicel ascending to erect.

Seeds

globose to obconic, lacking obvious depression, 0.5–1.2 mm, rugulose.

globose to obconic, lacking obvious depression, 0.5–1.2 mm, rugulose or occasionally granular.

2n

= 96.

= 16, 32.

Sisyrinchium angustifolium

Sisyrinchium atlanticum

Phenology Flowering spring–early summer. Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat Moist meadows, stream banks, swamp edges, sandy meadows, moist open woods Moist meadows and coastal dunes in sandy, peaty, or rich, loamy soil
Elevation 0–800 m (0–2600 ft) 0–300 m (0–1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; LB; NS; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; NS
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Sisyrinchium membranaceum E. P. Bicknell probably belongs here; Bicknell indicated that its relationship was “with S. graminoides” and his description falls within that of S. angustifolium, except for slightly shorter spathe bracts.

In previous floras, Sisyrinchium angustifolium often has been confused with S. montanum, especially when S. graminoides was segregated. Branching seems to be the primary point of confusion. The original descriptions of S. angustifolium and S. graminoides clearly indicated branching while that of S. montanum indicates it to be single-stemmed. There is some slight similarity between S. montanum var. crebrum and S. angustifolium with respect to spathe connation and dry color, and chromosome counts indicate that both have 2n = 96, but there is some indication that breeding barriers may exist (D. B. Ward 1959).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 361. FNA vol. 26.
Parent taxa Iridaceae > Sisyrinchium Iridaceae > Sisyrinchium
Sibling taxa
S. albidum, S. arizonicum, S. atlanticum, S. bellum, S. biforme, S. californicum, S. campestre, S. capillare, S. cernuum, S. demissum, S. dichotomum, S. elmeri, S. ensigerum, S. funereum, S. fuscatum, S. groenlandicum, S. halophilum, S. hitchcockii, S. idahoense, S. langloisii, S. littorale, S. longipes, S. miamiense, S. minus, S. montanum, S. mucronatum, S. nashii, S. pallidum, S. pruinosum, S. radicatum, S. rosulatum, S. sagittiferum, S. sarmentosum, S. septentrionale, S. strictum, S. xerophyllum
S. albidum, S. angustifolium, S. arizonicum, S. bellum, S. biforme, S. californicum, S. campestre, S. capillare, S. cernuum, S. demissum, S. dichotomum, S. elmeri, S. ensigerum, S. funereum, S. fuscatum, S. groenlandicum, S. halophilum, S. hitchcockii, S. idahoense, S. langloisii, S. littorale, S. longipes, S. miamiense, S. minus, S. montanum, S. mucronatum, S. nashii, S. pallidum, S. pruinosum, S. radicatum, S. rosulatum, S. sagittiferum, S. sarmentosum, S. septentrionale, S. strictum, S. xerophyllum
Synonyms S. graminoides S. apiculatum, S. apiculatum var. mesochorum, S. corymbosum, S. flexile, S. mucronatum var. atlanticum, S. scoparium, S. tracyi, S. violaceum
Name authority Miller: Gard. Dict. ed. 8, Sisyrinchium no. 2. (1768) E. P. Bicknell: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 23: 134. (1896)
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