Sisyrinchium campestre is noted for its pale blue to white flowers and unbranched flowering stems.
Clusters of pale blue to white flowers (to 1/2" across), each with 6 pointed tepals and a yellow eye, appear in spring on stalks growing from leaf-like bract atop unbranched flowering stems which are distinctively flattened.
Sisyrinchium angustifolium (I870), also a Missouri native, features violet-blue flowers atop branched flowering stems.
Prairie Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium campestre) reaches 50cm (20") and has a flat stem and leaves to 0.3cm (0.125") wide.
Narrowleaf Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) is a very common species that can reach 50cm (20") in height.
Annual Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium rosulatum) is an annual which reaches only 15cm (6") in height and has spreading leaves that are only 0.25cm (0.1") wide and 6.5cm (3") long.
2bnthewild.com /plants/H192.htm (567 words)
Sisyrinchium Phylogeny(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
A true phylogeny is an accurate representation of the evolutionary relationships among the taxa (species) of a group (in my case, Sisyrinchium).
To create a phylogeny for Sisyrinchium, I am using the maturase K gene (matK) and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS).
The current poster: Character Evolution in Sisyrinchium (Iridaceae) This is a 8.4MB DRAFT based on my 2004 talk at BSA (see abstracts page).
Sisyrinchium macrocephalum(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
Although it shows obvious similarities with the plant shown below, the Cambridge plant is rather taller, flowers later and the flowers and flower spike are not quite the same.
It is a large yellow flowered perennial Sisyrinchium, height usually 0.6 to 1.0m (2 to 3ft).
Flowers are borne from June to September (May to October in good seasons), with a good showy main flush early, intermittent flowering thereafter.
Mountain Blue Eyed Grass - Sisyrinchium montanum(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
This widely adaptable species of Blue Eyed Grass actually grows on heavier soils, even clay, while most others require looser, well-drained sandy soils.
The unique, bright blue flowers of Mountain Blue Eyed Grass actually emerge from near the tips of the leaves, a characteristic of the genus Sisyrinchium.
A member of the Iris Family, this charmingly diminutive plant blooms in late spring before most other prairie flowers.