Sisyrinchium montanum |
Sisyrinchium capillare |
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Bermudienne montagnarde, mountain blue-eyed-grass, strict blue-eyed-grass |
needle blue-eyed grass |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, pale to olive green or dark brown to bronze when dry, to 5 dm, not glaucous; rhizomes scarcely discernable. | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, yellowish green to olive when dry, to 4.5 dm, not glaucous. | ||||
Stems | simple, obviously winged, (1.5–)2–3.7 mm wide, glabrous, margins entire (in eastern populations) to denticulate (in western populations) apically, similar in color and texture to stem body. |
apparently simple, wiry, wings present as slight ridges, 0.5–1 mm wide, glabrous, margins minutely denticulate, similar in color and texture to stem body. |
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Leaf | blades glabrous, bases not persistent in fibrous tufts. |
blades glabrous, bases not persistent in fibrous tufts. |
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Inflorescences | borne singly; spathes usually green or bronze, rarely with purplish margins, glabrous, keels usually denticulate; outer 36–76 mm, 12–46 mm longer than inner, slightly constricted proximal to apex, margins basally connate 2–5.7 mm; inner with keel ± gibbous basally, sinuous proximally, hyaline margins 0.1–0.3 mm wide, apex acuminate to acute, ending 0.9–4.3 mm proximal to recurved green apex. |
usually paired, closely subtended by long, bractlike leaf that often obscures first (inner) inflorescence, sessile or second (outer) with branch to 6.6 mm; spathes often purplish, glabrous, keels entire; outer 12.1–14.7 mm, 0.9 mm shorter to 2.7 mm longer than inner, usually tapering evenly towards apex, margins distinct or connate basally to 1.5 mm; inner with keel straight or evenly curved, hyaline margins 0.2–0.4 mm wide, apex acute to occasionally obtuse, ending 0.2–1.4 mm proximal to green apex. |
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Flowers | tepals dark bluish violet, bases yellow; outer tepals 9–14.5 mm, apex emarginate to retuse, aristate; filaments connate ± entirely, stipitate-glandular basally; ovary similar in color to foliage. |
tepals pale blue to bluish violet, bases yellow; outer tepals 7.7–12 mm, apex emarginate, aristate; filaments connate ± entirely, glabrous; ovary similar in color to foliage. |
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Capsules | tan to dark brown, sometimes with purplish tinge apically, ± globose to obovoid, 4–6.8 mm; pedicel erect to spreading. |
tan or light brown, ± globose, 2–3.3 mm, glabrous; pedicel loosely erect or spreading. |
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Seeds | globose to obconic, lacking obvious depression, 0.9–1.5 mm, rugulose. |
globose to obconic, lacking obvious depression, 0.8–1.2 mm, rugulose. |
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Sisyrinchium montanum |
Sisyrinchium capillare |
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Phenology | Flowering spring. | |||||
Habitat | Open woods | |||||
Elevation | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
North America
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AL; GA; NC; SC; VA |
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Discussion | Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). Eastern coastal populations of Sisyrinchium montanum appear to have some slight affinity to S. angustifolium (e.g., long connation of outer spathe) and some previous floras have combined the two taxa. Some taxonomists have questioned the recognition of varieties within S. montanum, but we feel that the differences between them are no more subtle than those between varieties generally recognized elsewhere in the genus. Living material was not available to us to investigate breeding barriers. Although Sisyrinchium montanum is considered weedy by D. T. Patterson et al. (1989), I have seen many populations all through the western states and Great Lakes areas and would not consider it weedy in any of these portions of the range. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Sisyrinchium capillare has, at times, been considered synonymous with S. albidum (e.g., D. T. MacRoberts 1984). The very narrow, almost wingless stems and glabrous filaments will help distinguish it from S. albidum, which is much more wide-ranging. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 366. | FNA vol. 26, p. 359. | ||||
Parent taxa | Iridaceae > Sisyrinchium | Iridaceae > Sisyrinchium | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Name authority | Greene: Pittonia 4: 33. (1899) | E. P. Bicknell: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 26: 608. (1899) | ||||
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