Blue-eyed grass
Encyclopedia
Sisyrinchium is a genus
of 70-150 species
of annual
to perennial
plants
of the iris family
, native to the New World
.
Several species in the eastern United States
are threatened or endangered.
, form complexes with many variants named as species. More genetic research and cladistic
analysis need to be performed to sort out the relationships between the species. Some species, notably S. douglasii, have been transferred to the separate genus Olsynium
.
word for Barbary nut iris (Iris or Moraea sisyrinchium), and refers to the way the corm
tunics resemble a shaggy goat
's-hair coat, sisýra. Pliny
and Theophrastus
give the dubious etymology of Latin
sūs "pig" and Greek rhynchos "nose", referring to pig
s grubbing the roots. As Goldblatt and Manning explain, "the reason for applying the name to a genus of New World Iridaceae was apparently arbitrary."
es, but many species have the general appearance of grasses, as they are low-growing plants with long, thin leaves. They often grow on grasslands. Many species resemble iris
es, to which they are more closely related. Most species grow as perennial plant
s, from a rhizome
, though some are short-lived (e.g. S. striatum), and some are annuals
(e.g. S. iridifolium).
The flowers are relatively simple and often grow in clusters.
Many species, particularly the South American ones, are not blue, despite the common name. The genus includes species with blue, white, yellow, and purple petals, often with a contrasting centre. Of the species in the United States, the Western Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium bellum, is sometimes found with white flowers, while the California Golden-eyed Grass
, Sisyrinchium californicum, has yellow flowers.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of 70-150 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of annual
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
to perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
plants
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
of the iris family
Iridaceae
The Iris family or Iridaceae is a family of perennial, herbaceous and bulbous plants included in the monocot order Asparagales, taking its name from the genus Iris. Almost worldwide in distribution and one of the most important families in horticulture, it includes more than 2000 species...
, native to the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
.
Several species in the eastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
are threatened or endangered.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of this genus is rather perplexing and confusing, as several of these species, such as Sisyrinchium angustifoliumSisyrinchium angustifolium
Sisyrinchium angustifolium, commonly known as Stout blue-eyed grass or simply blue-eyed grass, is a herbaceous perennial growing from rhizomes, native to moist meadow and open woodland. It is the most common blue-eyed grass of the eastern United States.Height: . Stem: broadly winged, wide. Leaves:...
, form complexes with many variants named as species. More genetic research and cladistic
Cladistics
Cladistics is a method of classifying species of organisms into groups called clades, which consist of an ancestor organism and all its descendants . For example, birds, dinosaurs, crocodiles, and all descendants of their most recent common ancestor form a clade...
analysis need to be performed to sort out the relationships between the species. Some species, notably S. douglasii, have been transferred to the separate genus Olsynium
Olsynium
Olsynium is a genus of 12 species of summer-dormant rhizomatous perennials in the iris family, native to sunny hillsides in South America and western North America.-Description:...
.
Etymology
Sisyrinchíon is the GreekAncient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
word for Barbary nut iris (Iris or Moraea sisyrinchium), and refers to the way the corm
Corm
A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ....
tunics resemble a shaggy goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
's-hair coat, sisýra. Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
and Theophrastus
Theophrastus
Theophrastus , a Greek native of Eresos in Lesbos, was the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school. He came to Athens at a young age, and initially studied in Plato's school. After Plato's death he attached himself to Aristotle. Aristotle bequeathed to Theophrastus his writings, and...
give the dubious etymology of Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
sūs "pig" and Greek rhynchos "nose", referring to pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s grubbing the roots. As Goldblatt and Manning explain, "the reason for applying the name to a genus of New World Iridaceae was apparently arbitrary."
Description
These are not true grassGrass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
es, but many species have the general appearance of grasses, as they are low-growing plants with long, thin leaves. They often grow on grasslands. Many species resemble iris
Iris (plant)
Iris is a genus of 260-300species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species...
es, to which they are more closely related. Most species grow as perennial plant
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
s, from a rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
, though some are short-lived (e.g. S. striatum), and some are annuals
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
(e.g. S. iridifolium).
The flowers are relatively simple and often grow in clusters.
Many species, particularly the South American ones, are not blue, despite the common name. The genus includes species with blue, white, yellow, and purple petals, often with a contrasting centre. Of the species in the United States, the Western Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium bellum, is sometimes found with white flowers, while the California Golden-eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium californicum
Sisyrinchium californicum is a species of flowering plant in the iris family known by the common names yellow-eyed grass, golden-eyed grass, and golden blue-eyed grass...
, Sisyrinchium californicum, has yellow flowers.
Species
There are 17-150 species, including:
|
Sisyrinchium montanum Sisyrinchium montanum, or strict blue-eyed grass, is a grass-like species of plants from the genus Sisyrinchium native to northern North America from Newfoundland west to easternmost Alaska, and south to Pennsylvania in the east, and to New Mexico in the Rocky Mountains.It is very similar to S... Greene Strict Blue-eyed Grass, American Blue-eyed-grass Sisyrinchium platense Sisyrinchium platense is a species of flowering plant in the Iridaceae family. Native from the Pampas region of South America, they are found growing in fertile and moist soils... I. M. Johnston Sisyrinchium pruinosum Sisyrinchium pruinosum, syn. Sisyrinchium langloisii, the Dotted Blue-eyed Grass, is a perennial plant in the Iridaceae family.-Description:... Spotted Blue-eyed Grass |