Xyris montana |
Xyris isoetifolia |
|
---|---|---|
northern yellow-eyed-grass, xyris de montagne, xyris des montagnes |
quillwort yelloweyed grass |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, 5–30 cm. | Herbs, perennial, densely cespitose, (15–)20–30(–40) cm, base not abruptly bulbous. |
Stems | compact. |
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. |
erect or ascending, 4–15 cm; sheaths glossy brown or red-brown, chaffy; blade green, filiform or narrowly linear, twisted, to 1 mm wide, smooth. |
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. |
scape sheaths exceeded by leaves; scapes linear, nearly terete, 0.5(–0.7) mm wide, smooth, not ribbed; spikes ellipsoid to obovoid, 5–7(–10) mm; fertile bracts ca. 4.5 mm, margins nearly entire, apex rounded. |
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. |
lateral sepals included, reddish brown, linear-curvate, 4 mm, keel firm, ciliate; petals unfolding in morning, blade obovate, 4 mm; staminodes bearded. |
Seeds | translucent, narrowly ellipsoid, (0.6–)0.7–0.9(–1) mm, finely lined. |
translucent, ellipsoid, 0.5 mm, distinctly longitudinally ribbed, with fainter transverse lines. |
2n | = 18. |
|
Xyris montana |
Xyris isoetifolia |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer–fall. | Flowering summer–fall. |
Habitat | Sphagnous bogs, poor fens, acid seeps, shores of glacial lakes, streams, muskegs, or floating bog mats | Sphagnous bogs, low pine savanna, shores of dolines, coastal plain |
Elevation | 0–500 m (0–1600 ft) | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) |
Distribution |
CT; MA; ME; MI; MN; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; VT; WI; NB; NF; NS; ON; QC
|
AL; FL |
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.) |
Xyris isoetifolia, locally abundant only in northwest Florida, is most often mistaken for X. baldwiniana but is distinguishable by its bearded staminodes and more distinctly ribbed, shorter seeds. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 22. | FNA vol. 22. |
Parent taxa | Xyridaceae > Xyris | Xyridaceae > Xyris |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | X. flexuosa var. pusilla, X. papillosa | |
Name authority | Ries: Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 19: 38. (1892) | Kral: Sida 2: 227, plate [p. 252], fig 2. (1966) |
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