Sisyrinchium atlanticum |
Sisyrinchium demissum |
|
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eastern blue-eyed-grass |
stiff blue-eyed grass |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, yellowish to light olive when dry, to 5.7 dm, not glaucous. | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, light green to olive when dry, to 5 dm, often somewhat 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 or 2 nodes, 1–2(–2.3) mm wide, glabrous, margins entire to denticulate apically, occasionally white-cartilaginous; first internode 8–34 cm, usually 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 11–26 mm, 2.5 mm shorter to 5 mm longer than inner, tapering evenly towards apex, margins basally connate 3.3–8 mm; inner with keel evenly curved to straight, hyaline margins 0.2–0.4 mm wide, apex acute to acuminate, ending 0.1–1.1 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 dark bluish violet, bases yellow; outer tepals 6–15 mm, apex rounded to acute or occasionally 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. |
beige to tan, globose, 4–7.5+ 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, 0.8–2 mm, granular or slightly rugulose. |
2n | = 16, 32. |
= 32, 64. |
Sisyrinchium atlanticum |
Sisyrinchium demissum |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring–early summer. | Flowering mid spring–early fall. |
Habitat | Moist meadows and coastal dunes in sandy, peaty, or rich, loamy soil | Moist areas, springs, stream banks, meadows, forest seeps |
Elevation | 0–300 m (0–1000 ft) | 500–2900 m (1600–9500 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
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AZ; CO; NM; NV; TX; UT; n Mexico
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Discussion | Previously, we (A. F. Cholewa and D. M. Henderson 1984) misidentified the octoploid northern Utah populations of Sisyrinchium demissum as S. radicatum. New data indicate that these northern Utah populations rightly belong here as a polyploid race of S. demissum. Also see discussion under 18. S. radicatum. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 26. | FNA vol. 26, p. 365. |
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. amethystinum, S. demissum var. amethystinum, S. longipedunculatum |
Name authority | E. P. Bicknell: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 23: 134. (1896) | Greene: Pittonia 2: 69. (1890) |
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