Sisyrinchium bellum |
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beautiful blue-eyed grass, blue-eyed grass, western blue-eyed-grass |
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| Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, green to ashy olive when dry, to 3.8 dm, not glaucous. |
| Stems | 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 glabrous, bases not persistent in fibrous tufts. |
| Inflorescences | 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 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 | tan to dark brown, globose to obovoid, 3–5 mm; pedicel erect to ascending. |
| Seeds | globose to obconic, lacking obvious depression, 1.5–2.2 mm, rugulose. |
| 2n | = 32. |
Sisyrinchium bellum |
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| Phenology | Flowering early spring–late summer. |
| Habitat | Open, mostly moist, grassy areas and woods |
| Elevation | 0–2400 m [0–7900 ft] |
| Distribution |
CA; OR; Mexico (Baja California)
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| 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.) |
| Parent taxa | |
| Sibling taxa | |
| Synonyms | S. angustifolium var. bellum, S. eastwoodiae, S. greenei, S. hesperium, S. maritimum |
| Name authority | S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 277. (1877) |
| Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 363. |
| Web links | |