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eastern blue-eyed-grass

bigroot blue-eyed grass

Habit Herbs, perennial, cespitose, yellowish to light olive when dry, to 5.7 dm, not glaucous. Herbs, perennial, cespitose, pale olive green when dry, to 3.4 dm, rarely 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, 1.7–3.2 mm wide, glabrous, margins white or translucent-cartilaginous;

first internode 11–41 cm, longer than leaves;

distalmost node with 2 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 14–18 mm, 3.8 mm shorter to 0.5 mm longer than inner, tapering evenly towards apex, basally connate 4–7 mm;

inner with keel evenly curved to straight, hyaline margins 0.5–0.8 mm wide, apex abruptly broadened, ending 0.5–2.3 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 bluish violet, bases yellow;

outer tepals elliptic to oblanceolate, 9–12 mm, apex rounded to slightly 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, 4.3–6 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, 0.8–1.3 mm, rugulose.

2n

= 16, 32.

= 32.

Sisyrinchium atlanticum

Sisyrinchium radicatum

Phenology Flowering spring–early summer. Flowering late spring–mid summer.
Habitat Moist meadows and coastal dunes in sandy, peaty, or rich, loamy soil Moist, sometimes alkaline meadows, stream banks, borders of springs
Elevation 0–300 m (0–1000 ft) 600–1300 m (2000–4300 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
NV; UT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Sisyrinchium radicatum has been confused with S. demissum: S. L. Welsh and G. Moore (1973) called all branched Sisyrinchium plants in Utah S. radicatum, while S. Goodrich and E. Neese (1986) called such plants S. demissum with S. radicatum a synonym. Sisyrinchium radicatum differs in having white or cartilaginous margins on the stem and a broad apex to the hyaline margin of the inner spathe; it is apparently restricted to the St. George–Las Vegas region, and is to be expected in the adjacent northwest corner of Arizona.

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

Source FNA vol. 26. FNA vol. 26, p. 362.
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. 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. 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
Name authority E. P. Bicknell: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 23: 134. (1896) E. P. Bicknell: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 576. (1901)
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