Xyris montana
Xyris elliottii
northern yellow-eyed-grass, xyris de montagne, xyris des montagnes
Elliott's yelloweyed grass
compact.
compact.
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.
in narrow fans to erect, 10–30(–40) cm;
sheath base tan to brown, firm;
blade mostly green or tinged with maroon, narrowly linear, flattened, plane or slightly twisted, 1–2(–2.5) mm wide, smooth, margins pale, narrow, incrassate, smooth or papillate.
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.
scape sheaths exceeded by leaves;
scapes linear, nearly terete, 0.7–1 mm wide, apically 2-ribbed, ribs smooth or papillate;
spikes mostly ovoid or ellipsoid, 6–15 mm, apex acute;
fertile bracts 5–6 mm, margins pale, strongly scarious, lacerate, often squarrose, submarginally often reddish, apex low-keeled.
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.
lateral sepals included or slightly exsert, slightly curved, (5.5–)6–7 mm, keel concolorous, firm, finely lacerate or apically lacero-fimbriate, not papillate or ciliate;
petals unfolding in morning, blade obovate, 5 mm;
staminodes bearded.
translucent, narrowly ellipsoid, (0.6–)0.7–0.9(–1) mm, finely lined.
translucent, ellipsoid, 0.5–0.6 mm, prominently longitudinally lined.
= 189.
Xyris montana
Xyris elliottii
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.)
Xyris elliottii with its densely cespitose habit, its glossy brown or red-brown, chaffy leaf sheath bases, and narrow leaves is a part of a complex including Xyris baldwiniana and X. isoetifolia. Usually it is readily distinguished by its taller habit, thicker scapes, and larger spikes, but particularly by its strongly contrasting pale, incrassate leaf blade borders. In peninsular Florida, however, this leaf border is not consistently present, particularly in the narrower-bladed populations (in these, leaf blades may be less than 1 mm wide). Such plants can be distinguished from X. baldwiniana by the staminodial brush, absent in X. baldwiniana, and from X. isoetifolia by the different spike shape, the ragged (rather than entire) bracts, and by a different seed sculpture. Hybrids between X. elliottii and X. brevifolia occur in southern Florida.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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