Sisyrinchium angustifolium
Sisyrinchium mucronatum
Bermudienne à feuilles étroites, blue-eyed grass, narrow-leaf blue-eyed-grass, stout blue-eyed grass
needle-tip blue-eyed-grass
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.
simple, often purplish, almost wiry, with very narrow or scarcely discernable wings, 0.9–2 mm wide, usually glabrous, margins usually entire to denticulate apically, similar in color and texture to stem body.
blades glabrous, bases not persistent in fibrous tufts.
blades usually glabrous, bases not persistent in fibrous tufts.
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 mostly purplish, glabrous to slightly scabrous (in southern populations), keels entire;
outer 34–52 mm, 14–31 mm longer than inner, usually tapering evenly towards apex, margins basally connate (0.7–)1–2.7 mm;
inner with keel evenly curved to occasionally gibbous basally, hyaline margins 0.1–0.3 mm wide, apex acuminate to acute, ending 0.5–3.2 mm proximal to green apex.
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 dark blue or bluish violet, occasionally white, bases yellow;
outer tepals 9–12.5 mm, apex emarginate to rounded, aristate;
filaments connate ± entirely, stipitate-glandular basally;
ovary similar in color to foliage.
dark brown or black, sometimes with purplish tinge, ± globose, 4–7 mm;
pedicel spreading or ascending.
tan to light brown with purplish tinge apically, ± globose, 3.2–5.5 mm;
pedicel spreading to erect.
globose to obconic, lacking obvious depression, 0.5–1.2 mm, rugulose.
globose to obconic, lacking obvious depression, 0.8–1.5 mm, usually granular.
= 96.
= 32.
Sisyrinchium angustifolium
Sisyrinchium mucronatum
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.)
Sisyrinchium mucronatum can be a difficult species to identify, especially in the north. Herbarium specimens seem to indicate that morphologically it may approach S. septentrionale in central Canada, and narrow specimens of S. montanum in the northeast. Fresh material, however, reveals that S. septentrionale tends to have much paler flowers with no emarginate apices and much longer outer spathes, and that S. montanum usually has much wider stems, leaves, and bracts, and the outer tepals have emarginate to retuse apices. Southeastern populations of S. mucronatum tend to be more scabrous while northwestern populations have less purple in the spathes.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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