Flora of North America species comparison

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Xyris montana

northern yellow-eyed-grass, xyris de montagne, xyris des montagnes
Habit Herbs, perennial, cespitose, 5–30 cm.
Stems

compact.
Leaves

in narrow fans, 4–15 cm;

sheaths reddish, soft, papillate;

blade deep green, narrowly linear, 0.8–2(–3) mm wide, smooth, margins smooth to papillate.
Inflorescences

scape sheaths exceeded by leaves;

scapes linear, wiry, terete, (0.25–)0.5–0.8(–1) mm wide, distally with 2–4 ribs, ribs papillate;

spikes broadly to narrowly ellipsoid or ovoid, 4–8 mm;

fertile bracts 3–4(–4.5) mm, margins erose or minutely fimbriolate, sometimes with narrow reddish border, apex very slightly to slightly keeled.
Flowers

lateral sepals slightly exserted, straight, 4.2–4.7 mm, keel scarious, entire or apically lacerate, apex red, narrow, firm;

petals unfolding in morning, blade obovate, 3–4 mm;

staminodes bearded.
Seeds

translucent, narrowly ellipsoid, (0.6–)0.7–0.9(–1) mm, finely lined.

Xyris montana
Phenology Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Sphagnous bogs, poor fens, acid seeps, shores of glacial lakes, streams, muskegs, or floating bog mats
Elevation 0–500 m (0–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; MA; ME; MI; MN; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; VT; WI; NB; NF; NS; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Most or all known populations of this species fall within the boundaries of Wisconsin glaciation. The long stems (a trait not known for other North American species) are a response to the burial of the clump bases in deep sphagnum.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Xyridaceae > Xyris
Sibling taxa
X. ambigua, X. baldwiniana, X. brevifolia, X. caroliniana, X. difformis, X. drummondii, X. elliottii, X. fimbriata, X. flabelliformis, X. isoetifolia, X. jupicai, X. laxifolia, X. longisepala, X. platylepis, X. scabrifolia, X. serotina, X. smalliana, X. stricta, X. tennesseensis, X. torta
Synonyms X. flexuosa var. pusilla, X. papillosa
Name authority Ries: Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 19: 38. (1892)
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Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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