Sisyrinchium atlanticum |
Sisyrinchium bellum |
|
---|---|---|
eastern blue-eyed-grass |
beautiful blue-eyed grass, blue-eyed grass, western blue-eyed-grass |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, yellowish to light olive when dry, to 5.7 dm, not glaucous. | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, green to ashy olive when dry, to 3.8 dm, not glaucous. |
Stems | 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. |
branched, with 1–2 nodes, 1.5–5.3 mm wide, glabrous, margins entire to denticulate apically, similar in color and texture to stem body; first internode 11–33 cm, usually equaling or longer than leaves; distalmost node with 2–3 branches. |
Leaf | blades usually glabrous, bases occasionally becoming fibrous, but not persistent in tufts. |
blades glabrous, bases not persistent in fibrous tufts. |
Inflorescences | 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. |
borne singly; spathes green, obviously wider than supporting branch, glabrous, keels entire to denticulate; outer 14–30 mm, usually 2–7 mm longer than inner, tapering evenly towards apex, margins basally connate 4–7.6 mm; inner with keel evenly curved to straight, hyaline margins 0.1–0.7 mm wide, apex abruptly widening, ending 0.2–1.3 mm proximal to green apex. |
Flowers | 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. |
tepals light blue to dark bluish violet or rarely purplish or white, bases yellow; outer tepals often broadly cuneate, 10–17 mm, apex rounded, truncate, or occasionally emarginate, aristate; filaments connate ± entirely, usually glabrous; ovary similar in color to foliage. |
Capsules | dark brown to black or purplish black, ± globose to obovoid, 2–4.1 mm; pedicel ascending to erect. |
tan to dark brown, globose to obovoid, 3–5 mm; pedicel erect to ascending. |
Seeds | globose to obconic, lacking obvious depression, 0.5–1.2 mm, rugulose or occasionally granular. |
globose to obconic, lacking obvious depression, 1.5–2.2 mm, rugulose. |
2n | = 16, 32. |
= 32. |
Sisyrinchium atlanticum |
Sisyrinchium bellum |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring–early summer. | Flowering early spring–late summer. |
Habitat | Moist meadows and coastal dunes in sandy, peaty, or rich, loamy soil | Open, mostly moist, grassy areas and woods |
Elevation | 0–300 m (0–1000 ft) | 0–2400 m (0–7900 ft) |
Distribution |
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
|
CA; OR; Mexico (Baja California)
|
Discussion | Sisyrinchium bellum is the most common species of Sisyrinchium in California; it is highly variable in habit, flower color, and size. Plants of serpentine areas are intermediate with S. idahoense var. idahoense; plants of the Transverse Ranges are intermediate with S. demissum. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 26. | FNA vol. 26, p. 363. |
Parent taxa | Iridaceae > Sisyrinchium | Iridaceae > Sisyrinchium |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. apiculatum, S. apiculatum var. mesochorum, S. corymbosum, S. flexile, S. mucronatum var. atlanticum, S. scoparium, S. tracyi, S. violaceum | S. angustifolium var. bellum, S. eastwoodiae, S. greenei, S. hesperium, S. maritimum |
Name authority | E. P. Bicknell: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 23: 134. (1896) | S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 277. (1877) |
Web links |