Sisyrichium idahoense
- Scientific Name: Sisyrichium idahoense
- Family: Iridaceae
- English Names: Blue-eyed grass, Idaho blue-eyed grass
- Other Names: Sisyrinchium angustifolium
Contents
Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Plantae
- (unranked): Angiosperms
- (unranked): Monocots
- Order: Asparagales
- Family: Iridaceae
- Subfamily: Iridoideae
- Tribe: Sisyrinchieae
- Genus: Sisyrinchium
- Species: S. idahoense
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 blue to purplish-blue often with a yellow "eye", small (about 2 cm across) and in a terminal cluster of one to five flowers above a pair of sheathing, leaf-like bracts. Fruits egg-shaped capsules to 6 mm long, with black seeds [1]
Bloom Period
May to July
Distribution
Habitat
Moist to wet grassy meadows, vernal seepage areas, marshes, roadside ditches; at low to middle elevations [1]
Uses
Site Rehabilitation
Possible reclamation species in moister pockets in selected sites [2]
Wildlife
Solitary bees of the family Megachilidae are mainly responsible for cross-pollination in natural populations [3]
Landscaping
Mass-plant to create a showy display in a border or a rock garden [4]
First Nations
Infusion of root given to children for diarrhea; Eaten as cooked greens for “regular bowels”; decoction of roots and stalks taken before morning meal for constipation; compound with plant taken for “summer complaint”; infusion of plant taken for stomach troubles and stomach worms; mixed with other greens and eaten.
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 (Henderson, 1976).
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 (R. Bridgeman, pers. comm.).
