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Sisyrinchium albidum — white blue-eyed-grass

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Facts

White blue-eyed-grass is native to much of eastern and southeastern North America, but is known in New England only as a single collection from Maine, very disjunct from the rest of its range. It is a rather variable species whose tepals may be white or pale violet.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields, woodlands

New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Characteristics

Habitat
terrestrial
New England state
Maine
Leaf arrangement
  • alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
  • basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
Leaf blade shape
the leaf blade is linear (very narrow with more or less parallel sides)
Flower petal color
  • blue to purple
  • white
Flower petal length
6–12.5 mm
Petal fusion
the perianth parts are separate
Inflorescence type
  • the inflorescence is a scorpioid cyme (a curled cyme that uncurls as the flowers sequentially bloom)
  • the inflorescence is an umbel (with an axis so short it appears the flowers all originate from the same point)
Ovary position
the ovary is below the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
Fruit type (specific)
the fruit is a capsule (splits along two or more seams, apical teeth or pores when dry, to release two or more seeds)
Fruit length
2.8–4 mm
Show all characteristics

  • Clonal plantlets

    Axillary bulblets
    there are no bulblets being produced in axils

  • Flowers

    Anther attachment
    the anther is attached by its base to the filament
    Bulblets replace flowers
    there are no bulblets where the flowers are located
    Carpels fused
    the carpels are fused (the number of carpels equals the number of locules)
    Flower number
    2
    Flower petal color
    • blue to purple
    • white
    Flower petal length
    6–12.5 mm
    Flower symmetry
    there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
    Flowering stem width
    1.5–3.4 mm
    Form of style
    the style is branched above the base
    Fringed petal edges
    the petals are not fringed
    Hairs on flower stalk
    the flower stalk has no hairs on it
    Inflorescence type
    • the inflorescence is a scorpioid cyme (a curled cyme that uncurls as the flowers sequentially bloom)
    • the inflorescence is an umbel (with an axis so short it appears the flowers all originate from the same point)
    Length of flower stalk
    0 mm
    Length of peduncle
    0 mm
    Marks on petals
    there are no noticeable marks on the petals
    Nectar spur
    the flower has no nectar spurs
    Number of pistils
    1
    Number of styles
    3
    Ovary position
    the ovary is below the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
    Petal appearance
    the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
    Petal fusion
    the perianth parts are separate
    Sepal appearance
    the sepals resemble petals in color and texture
    Sepal length
    6–12.5 mm
    Sepals fused only to sepals
    the sepals are separate from one another
    Spathe
    • the plant does not have a spathe
    • the plant has a spathe surrounding the flower spike
    Spathe form
    NA
    Stamen number
    3
    Stamen position relative to petals
    NA
    Stamens fused
    the stamens are fused to one another at or near their bases
    Stamens fused outwards
    the stamens are not fused to the petals or tepals
    Style petal-like
    the style is not broad and flattened like a petal
    Tepals
    the petals and sepals are similar in size and color

  • Fruits or seeds

    Berry color
    NA
    Fruit compartments
    there are three locules in the fruit
    Fruit length
    2.8–4 mm
    Fruit type (general)
    the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
    Fruit type (specific)
    the fruit is a capsule (splits along two or more seams, apical teeth or pores when dry, to release two or more seeds)
    Other markings on berry
    NA

  • Glands or sap

    Sap
    the sap is clear and watery

  • Growth form

    Lifespan
    the plant lives more than two years
    Underground organs
    the plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)

  • Leaves

    Leaf arrangement
    • alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
    • basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
    Leaf blade basal lobes
    the leaf blades do not have basal lobes
    Leaf blade base
    the leaf blade clasps the stem at the base, or the leaf blade goes all the way around the stem, so that the stem appears to pierce the leaf blade
    Leaf blade base shape
    the base of the leaf blade is cuneate (wedge-shaped, tapers to the base with relatively straight, converging edges), or narrow
    Leaf blade cross-section
    the leaf blade is more or less flat in cross-section
    Leaf blade faces
    the surfaces of the leaf blade are composed of tissues from the abaxial side only
    Leaf blade form
    Fully-formed (i.e., expanded), +/- green leaf blades are found somewhere on the plant
    Leaf blade orientation
    the edge of the leaf blade faces the stem of the plant
    Leaf blade shape
    the leaf blade is linear (very narrow with more or less parallel sides)
    Leaf blade surface colors
    the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color
    Leaf blade veins
    the lateral veins are parallel or slightly arched in the direction of the tip
    Leaf blade width
    0.8–5 mm
    Leaf type
    the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
    Stipule twining
    NA
    Stipules
    there are no stipules on this plant

  • Place

    Habitat
    terrestrial
    New England state
    Maine
    Specific habitat
    • man-made or disturbed habitats
    • meadows or fields
    • woodlands

  • Scent

    Plant odor
    the leaves have no particular smell

  • Stem, shoot, branch

    Flowering stem leaves
    there is at least one fully-formed leaf on the flowering stem

Wetland status

Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but occasionally in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACU)

In New England

Distribution

Connecticut
absent
Maine
present
Massachusetts
absent
New Hampshire
absent
Rhode Island
absent
Vermont
absent

Conservation status

None

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key

1.  Sisyrinchium albidum Raf. NC

white blue-eyed-grass. Sisyrinchium bermudianum L. var. albidum (Raf.) Gray; S. scabrellum Bickn. • ME; also reported from CT by Dowhan (1979), but the voucher collection was Sisyrinchium angustifolium. Woodlands, sandy fields, roadsides. This species is considered native to New England by most authors. Its true status in the region is questionable given its highly disjunct location. It is known only as a historical plant from York County, ME.

Native to North America?

Yes and no (some introduced)

Sometimes confused with

Sisyrinchium angustifolium:
inflorescences numbering 2–5 and borne on branch-like peduncles, spathe bracts not closely subtended by leaves, and tepals blue to purple (vs. S. albidum, with the inflorescences, each of which is subtended by 2 opposed spathe bracts, paired at the summit of the stem and sessile, spathe bracts closely subtended and partly concealed by a bract-like leaf, and tepals white or pale violet).

Synonyms

  • Sisyrinchium bermudianum L. var. albidum (Raf.) Gray
  • Sisyrinchium scabrellum Bickn.

Family

Iridaceae

Genus

Sisyrinchium