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• Taxonomy
• Physical Description
• Distribution
• Landscaping
• Growth
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Taxonomy

Notes:

A tentatively accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database.

Physical Description

Family Iridaceae:

Herbs perennial (or shrubs or annuals), with rhizomes, bulbs, or corms. Leaves alternate, often 2-ranked, often oriented edgewise to aerial stem, usually sword-shaped to linear, parallel veined, base sheathing. Inflorescence sometimes a spike or reduced to a solitary flower, more often of monochasial, umbellate cymes, each enclosed in 2 opposed bracts (spathes) and termed a rhipidium, which may be solitary and terminal or numerous and variously arranged in racemes or panicles; bracts 1 to several. Flowers bisexual, showy, usually actinomorphic (often zygomorphic elsewhere) . Perianth segments 6, in 2 whorls, inner and outer ones equal or differing in size and/or color; tube filiform or trumpet-shaped. Stamens (2 or) 3; anthers extrorse. Ovary inferior (or superior), 3-loculed; ovules few to many; placentation axile. Style with filiform, slender, or petaloid branches. Fruit a loculicidal capsule. Seeds with or without aril and wings.

Between 70 and 80 genera and ca. 1800 species: nearly worldwide, especially S Africa, Asia, and Europe; three genera and 61 species (21 endemic, one introduced) in China.^[1]

Genus Sisyrinchium:

Herbs, annual or perennial, often cespitose, rhizomatous (sometimes only obscurely, especially when cespitose) or not, sometimes with thickened, fleshy roots. Stems scapelike or branched, compressed, and 2-winged. Leaves 2-6, basal or basal and cauline, alternate, basally equitant; blade plane, ensiform, usually glabrous. Inflorescences rhipidiate, usually terminal (basal flowers occasionally produced in some montane populations), 1-11(-15) -flowered; spathes 2, opposed, green or with purplish tinge, equitant, equal or unequal, smooth to scabrous, margins hyaline, apex undifferentiated, acute to obtuse or bifid, margins of outer spathe usually connate basally. Flowers not fragrant, actinomorphic; tepals widely spreading to reflexed (S. minus and S. rosulatum with campanulate bases), ± distinct, bluish violet to light blue, white, lavender to pink, magenta, purple, or yellow, not clawed, subequal; stamens symmetrically arranged; filaments distinct, connate basally or into tube, tapering evenly to apex (basally inflated in S. rosulatum) ; anthers parallel, surrounding but not appressed to style branches; styles 3, erect, connate at least basally, filiform, not broad and petaloid, long, extending between stamens usually beyond anthers. Fruits capsular, ± globose, smooth to roughened by underlying seeds, apex usually rounded. Seeds many, globose to obconic or hemispheric; seed coat black, granular to rugulose. x = 8.

Species ca. 80: New World, Hawaii; 1 species in New Zealand and 1 in Great Britain probably naturalized.

Sisyrinchium is a complex polyploid taxon in which the species are not always easily distinguished. When immature, plants of branched species appear to be simple-stemmed (internodes do not elongate until just before anthesis) and those of usually simple-stemmed species occasionally are branched. White flowers may occur in otherwise blue-flowered species, and vivipary occasionally occurs. Furthermore, vegetative characteristics, while distinctive in some species, may overlap greatly in wide-ranging species. Writers of past floras sometimes were unaware of such phenotypic plasticity, or were inconsistent in their use of terminology (spathes, for instance, have variously been called leaves or valves). Some taxonomists have thought differences too subtle and chosen to lump species (e.g., S. angustifolium and S. montanum have been considered synonymous by several authors).

Flowers and spathes provide the best characters but require fresh material or extreme care during pressing. Many older herbarium collections have been misidentified due to improper collecting/pressing techniques that obscured critical characters. Additionally, variability within populations makes accurate identification based on only one individual nearly impossible. Chromosome counts can be useful in differentiating species but consistent numbers seem to be obtained only with meiotic counts. Some of the unusual counts reported in the literature were obtained with mitotic material or were from misidentified plants. A definite ploidal series seems to be evident, however, at least among the blue-flowered species. Limited breeding studies have shown that ploidal levels are strong barriers to reproduction (A. F. Cholewa and D. M. Henderson 1984; D. M. Henderson 1976). There is some indication, however, that true hybrids may exist (D. B. Ward 1959; D. S. Correll and M. C. Johnston 1970; G. Ajilvsgi 1984). Much more work, especially with molecular data and cladistic analyses, needs to be done to understand species relationships.

In eastern Texas (especially) and adjacent states, intermediates between Sisyrinchium ensigerum, S. pruinosum, S. langloisii, and perhaps S. sagittiferum can be found. These have been referred to S. texanum E. P. Bicknell (D. S. Correll and M. C. Johnston 1970), and Bicknell's original description of that entity does mention a high degree of variability. Many of the specimens that we examined that were previously labeled S. texanum exhibit character states intermediate between those of S. langloisii and S. pruinosum or S. ensigerum. The types of S. texanum that we examined (Bray s.n., NY; Bush 32, NY; Hall 636, NY) would key to S. langloisii or S. pruinosum but exhibit several intermediate character states. Further, although K. L. Hornberger (1987, 1991) and D. S. Correll and M. C. Johnston (1970) considered S. texanum synonymous with S. sagittiferum (which they described as a branched species), E. P. Bicknell (1899, 1901) clearly indicated that the latter is unbranched, and thus it probably does not play a role in S. texanum. Much more work is needed to resolve the proper disposition of S. texanum and the true nature of this complex of southern species.

Characters critical for distinguishing species of Sisyrinchium are often found in floral material, requiring extra care in collecting and pressing. Accurate identification requires examining more than one individual in order to discount uncommon or atypical character states (generally not accounted for in this key). In branched individuals, leaves will be associated with one or more branches or peduncles that are narrower than the primary stem. Peduncles are morphologically indistinguishable from branches and are, hereafter, referred to simply as branches.^[2]

Flowers: Chocolate-colored flowers. Long blooming. • Bloom Period: April, May.

Foliage: Forms low tufts of iris-like foliage.

Images:

Distribution

Landscaping

Landscape Uses: Alpine gardens.

Growth

Culture: Space 6-9" apart.

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Similar Species

Members of the genus Sisyrinchium:

There are approximately 582 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: S. adenostemon microspathum · S. bromelioides angustius · S. chilense macranthum · S. commutatum capillare · S. dasyspathum glabrum · S. fasciculatum hoehnei · S. filifolium junceum · S. filifolium lainezii · S. graminifolium luteum · S. hirsutum dasyspathum · S. iridifolium valdivianum · S. junceum colchaguense · S. junceum depauperatum · S. junceum lainezii · S. macrocephalum fuscoviride · S. macrocephalum giganteum · S. micranthum scudiculare · S. micranthum valdivianum · S. nervosum atrichum · S. pachyrhizum columellosum · S. pachyrhizum pertenue · S. pachyrhizum procerum · S. philippi illapelinum · S. philippii illapelinum · S. purpurellum trichospathum · S. scirpoideum leucanthum · S. scirpoideum luridum · S. scirpoideum scirpeum · S. vaginatum ciliolatum · S. 'Biscutella' · S. 'Blue Ice' · S. 'Californian Skies' (California Skies Blue-Eyed Grass) · S. 'Deep Seas' · S. 'Devon Skies' (Blue Eyed Grass) · S. 'Dragon's Eye' · S. 'E.K. Balls' · S. 'Emmeline' · S. 'Hemswell Sky' · S. 'Iceberg' · S. 'Lacun' · S. 'Marie' · S. 'Marion' · S. 'May Snow' · S. 'Miami' · S. 'Mrs Spivey' · S. 'North Star' · S. 'Pole Star' · S. 'Quaint and Queer' (Quaint and Queer Brown-Eyed Grass) · S. 'Raspberry' · S. 'Sapphire' · S. 'Sisland Blue' · S. 'Stars and Stripes' · S. 'Stormy Seas' · S. 'Suwannee' (Blue-Eyed Grass) · S. 'Wisley Blue' · S. abietum · S. acaule · S. acre (Hawai'i Blue-Eyed Grass) · S. acuminatum · S. adenocarpum · S. adenostemon · S. adenostemon subsp. microspathum · S. adscendens · S. affine · S. alatum · S. albertiana · S. albidum (Pale Blue-Eyed Grass) · S. albilapidense · S. album · S. alpestre · S. altissimum · S. amethystinum · S. amoenum · S. anadenicum · S. anceps · S. andinum · S. angustifolium (Blue Eyegrass) · S. angustifolium 'Lucerne' (Blue-Eyed Grass) · S. angustifolium 'Mrs. Spivey' (Blue-Eyed Grass) · S. angustifolium album · S. angustifolium f. album · S. angustifolium var. mucronatum · S. angustissimum · S. annuum · S. aphyllum · S. apiculatum var. mesochorum · S. aquidaunicum · S. arenarium (Yellow Eyed Grass) · S. argentinense · S. arguellesiae · S. arizonicum (Arizona Blue-Eyed Grass) · S. arrayanicum · S. ascendens · S. asperulum · S. atlanticum (Bicknell Blue-Eyed Grass) · S. augustifolium · S. aurantiacum · S. aureum · S. avenaceum · S. azureum

Bibliography

• Cholewa, A. F. and D. M. Henderson. 1984. Biosystematics of Sisyrinchium section Bermudiana (Iridaceae) of the Rocky Mountains. Brittonia 36: 342-363.
• Goldblatt, P., P. J. Rudall, and J. E. Henrich. 1990. The genera of the Sisyrinchium alliance (Iridaceae: Iridoideae): Phylogeny and relationships. Syst. Bot. 15: 497-510.
• Henderson, D. M. 1972. A Biosystematic Study of the Genus Sisyrinchium (Iridaceae) in the Pacific Northwest. Ph.D. dissertation. University of Washington.
• Henderson, D. M. 1976. A biosystematic study of Pacific Northwestern blue-eyed grasses (Sisyrinchium, Iridaceae). Brittonia 28: 149-176.
• Hornberger, K. L. 1987. Systematics of the Genus Sisyrinchium (Iridaceae) in the Southeastern United States. Ph.D. dissertation. University of Arkansas.
• Hornberger, K. L. 1991. The blue-eyed-grasses (Sisyrinchium: Iridaceae) of Arkansas. Sida 14: 597-604.
• Rudall, P. J., A. Y. Kenton, and T. J. Lawrence. 1986. An anatomical and chromosomal investigation of Sisyrinchium and allied genera. Bot. Gaz. 147: 466-477.
• Ward, D. B. 1968. The nomenclature of Sisyrinchium bermudiana and related North America species. Taxon 17: 270-276.
• Zhao Yu-tang. 1985. Iridaceae. In: Pei Chien & Ting Chih-tsun, eds., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 16(1): 120--198.

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Notes

Identifiers:

• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 975871

Footnotes:

1. Yu-tang Zhao, Henry J. Noltie & Brian F. Mathew "Iridaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 297. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
2. Anita F. Cholewa & Douglass M. Henderson "Sisyrinchium". in Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 17, 350, 351, 352, 362, 363. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.