Sisyrinchium idahoense

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Photo by Ben Legler, 2004. Featured on Main Page
  • Scientific Name: Sisyrinchium idahoense
  • Family: Iridaceae
  • Common Names: blue-eyed grass, Idaho blue-eyed grass
  • Codon: SISIDA

Taxonomy

Solidago lepida
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Subkingdom: Viridiplantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Spermatophytina
Class: Magnoliopsida
Subclass: Lilianae
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Sisyrinchium L.
Species: Sisyrinchium idahoense E.P. Bicknell

[1]

Description

Showy, tufted perennial to 40 cm tall; stems usually flattened and wing-margined. Leaves mostly basal, long (to 20 cm.) and very narrow (< 2 mm broad).

Flowers consisting of 6 tepals, blue to purplish-blue with yellow centers. Flowers are small (about 2 cm across) and arranged in a terminal cluster of two to five flowers above a pair of sheathing, leaf-like bracts, emerging much lie irises.

1 prominent pistil and 3 stamens, ovary in inferior and pubescent.

Fruits egg-shaped capsules to 6 mm long, with black seeds [2][3]

Bloom Period

March to June

Distribution

Both S. i. var. occidentale (outer tepals 8-13 mm, inner spathe 12-20mm; spathe keel margins entire) and S. i. var. segetum (outer tepals 10-17 mm; spathe keel margins generally denticulate) have been reported in the South Salish Sea region. [4][3]

Habitat

Ecological Setting

Moist to wet grassy meadows, vernal seepage areas, marshes, roadside ditches; at low to middle elevations [2]

Soil Texture

Fine to well-drained.

Soil Reaction / Salinity

Mildly acidic to alkaline (pH 5.5 to 7.5) [5]

Shade Tolerance

Full sun to partial shade [6]

Successional Status

Considered a "weedy" species and a good early secession species after disturbance. [7]

Uses

Site Rehabilitation

Possible reclamation species in moister pockets in selected sites [8]

Wildlife

Solitary bees of the family Megachilidae are mainly responsible for cross-pollination in natural populations. [5]

Landscaping

Mass-plant to create a showy display in a border or a rock garden [6]

Propagation

Seed Propagation

Flowers are protandrous, thereby promoting out-crossing and at the same time reducing the chances for self pollination. S. idahoensis is an octoploid species and often exhibits a lag of up to 24 hours between anther maturation and stigma receptivity [5]

Fruit and Seed Collection and Extraction

Collect capsules by hand when ripe into collecting bags. Allow to dry further and then shake bags to extract seeds [9]

Seed Storage

Cold store at 5º C for up to three years [9]

Sisyrichium idahoense seed. Photo by Lisa Hintz

Fruit/Seed Dormancy and Treatment

Seal seeds in a Ziploc-style bag or a Rubbermaid-style container in equal amounts of seed to perlite or vermiculite, and add just enough water to moisten the mixture. Cold stratify at 5º C for 8 to 12 weeks [9]

Outplanting Characteristics and Requirements

Out-plant in the fall to take advantage of natural moisture or plant in spring and provide supplementary watering. Successfully self-seeds in situ. Can be successfully divided in situ in the spring by simply teasing plants apart and replanting the resulting clumps [10]

Photo Gallery

References

  1. Jump up Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved from https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=43266#null
  2. Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994
  3. Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 Bowcutt, F., & Hamman, Sarah. (2016). Vascular plants of the South Sound prairies (First ed.). Olympia, Washington: The Evergreen State College Press.
  4. Jump up Hitchcock, C. L., Cronquist, A., Giblin, D., & Legler, B. et al. (2018). Flora of the Pacific Northwest: an illustrated manual. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
  5. Jump up to: 5.0 5.1 5.2 Henderson, 1976
  6. Jump up to: 6.0 6.1 Tenenbaum et al., 1994
  7. Jump up Alverson, 2002
  8. Jump up Winters, 2002
  9. Jump up to: 9.0 9.1 9.2 Schultz et al., 2001
  10. Jump up R. Bridgeman, pers. comm.