The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

eastern blue-eyed-grass

prairie blue-eyed grass

Habit Herbs, perennial, cespitose, yellowish to light olive when dry, to 5.7 dm, not glaucous. Herbs, perennial, cespitose, light green to olive or ashy olive, sometimes with purplish base when dry, to 4 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.

simple, 1.2–2.5 mm wide, glabrous or scabrous, margins usually entire, similar in color and texture to stem body.

Leaf

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

blades usually glabrous, bases occasionally becoming fibrous but not persistent in 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 to purplish, glabrous or scabrous, keels usually entire;

outer 22–50 mm, 10–32 mm longer than inner, tapering evenly towards apex or occasionally slightly constricted proximal to apex, margins distinct or rarely connate basally to 1 mm;

inner with keel usually gibbous, hyaline margins 0.1–0.3 mm wide, apex acuminate to acute, ending 0.4–3.5 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 white to pale blue, bases yellow;

outer tepals 7–12.7 mm, apex rounded to emarginate, aristate;

filaments connate ± entirely, stipitate-glandular basally;

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.

light to dark brown, globose, 3–5 mm;

pedicel spreading to ascending.

Seeds

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

globose to obconic, lacking obvious depression, 0.5–1 mm, granular to rugulose.

2n

= 16, 32.

= 32.

Sisyrinchium atlanticum

Sisyrinchium campestre

Phenology Flowering spring–early summer. Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat Moist meadows and coastal dunes in sandy, peaty, or rich, loamy soil Prairies, meadows, roadsides
Elevation 0–300 m (0–1000 ft) 20–500 m (100–1600 ft)
Distribution
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]
from FNA
AR; IA; IL; IN; KS; LA; MI; MN; MO; ND; NE; OH; OK; SD; TX; WI; MB
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 26. FNA vol. 26, p. 365.
Parent taxa Iridaceae > Sisyrinchium Iridaceae > Sisyrinchium
Sibling taxa
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
S. albidum, S. angustifolium, S. arizonicum, S. atlanticum, S. bellum, S. biforme, S. californicum, 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. apiculatum, S. apiculatum var. mesochorum, S. corymbosum, S. flexile, S. mucronatum var. atlanticum, S. scoparium, S. tracyi, S. violaceum S. campestre var. kansanum, S. flaviflorum, S. kansanum
Name authority E. P. Bicknell: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 23: 134. (1896) E. P. Bicknell: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 26: 341. (1899)
Web links