Sisyrinchium atlanticum |
Sisyrinchium septentrionale |
|
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eastern blue-eyed-grass |
northern 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, green to pale olive when dry, to 4.3 dm, not glaucous; rhizomes scarcely discernable. |
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, 0.8–2 mm wide, glabrous, margins usually entire to denticulate apically, similar in color and texture to stem body. |
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 usually green, glabrous, keels entire to slightly denticulate; outer 20–63 mm, 17–42 mm longer than inner, tapering evenly towards apex, basally connate 1.5–2.5 mm; inner with keel evenly curved, hyaline margins 0.1–0.3 mm wide, apex acute to acuminate, ending 0.4–2.3 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 pale blue to light bluish violet, rarely white, bases yellow; outer 8–9.1 mm, apex usually rounded, 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 light brown, ± globose, 3–5 mm; pedicel spreading to erect. |
Seeds | globose to obconic, lacking obvious depression, 0.5–1.2 mm, rugulose or occasionally granular. |
globose to obconic, lacking obvious depression, 0.5–1.2 mm, rugulose. |
2n | = 16, 32. |
= 32. |
Sisyrinchium atlanticum |
Sisyrinchium septentrionale |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–early summer. | Flowering early–mid summer. |
Habitat | Moist meadows and coastal dunes in sandy, peaty, or rich, loamy soil | Mesic to dry meadows, stream banks, often in gravelly soil |
Elevation | 0–300 m (0–1000 ft) | 500–1600 m (1600–5200 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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WA; AB; BC; NT; SK
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Discussion | Sisyrinchium septentrionale is widespread but apparently not common in western Canada. In central Canada it intergrades with S. mucronatum, to which it appears closely related (see discussion, p. 367). It is confused also with S. montanum but can be distinguished by its very slender, very long outer spathe and nongibbous inner spathe. Fresh material will show lighter blue flowers and outer tepals with rounded apices. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 26. | FNA vol. 26, p. 371. |
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 | |
Name authority | E. P. Bicknell: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 23: 134. (1896) | E. P. Bicknell: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 26: 452. (1899) |
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