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Home  /  Plants  /  Budburst Species  /  Sisyrinchium campestre
Phenology Observation Sheet for Wildflowers and Herbs

COMMON NAME

Blue-eyed grass

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Sisyrinchium campestre

ALSO KNOWN AS

prairie blue-eyed grass, white-eyed grass

Plant family

Iris (Iridaceae)

Plant group

Wildflowers and Herbs

Prairie blue-eyed grass is a small-statured herbaceous perennial plant native to midwestern North American prairie habitats.
24 reports
14+
OBSERVERS
24+
OBSERVATIONS
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Identification hints

Prairie blue-eyed grass is one of a handful of species native to North America in the Sisyrinchium genus. These species can have overlapping ranges and be difficult to distinguish!
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Did you know?

These small delicate plants are part of the iris family (Iridaceae). Native short-tongued bees such as Halictids, and syrphid flies visit the flowers. The fruits and seeds are occasionally consumed by prairie chickens and wild turkeys.
DISTRIBUTION IN TH U.S.
Arkansas , Iowa , Illinois , Kansas , Louisiana , Michigan , Minnesota , Missouri , Mississippi , Nebraska , New Mexico , Oklahoma , South Dakota , Texas , Wisconsin
HABITAT
Prairie blue-eyed grass prefers prairies, hence the name, and open woodlands, sun, and dry to moist sandy soils.
ATTRIBUTES
Leaves
Leaves of prairie blue-eyed grass look similar to grass, hence the name. These grass-like leaves look quite similar to the flower stems but are technically not the same structures.
Flowers
Flowers of prairie blue-eyed grass star-like and clustered at the tips of stems with 6 petal-like "tepals" that are pale blue to white and yellow in the center. Flowers are ½ to ¾ inch in diameter, The very center of the tips of the tepals have thin needle-like projections.
Fruits
The fruits of prairie prairie blue-eyed grass are small and brown, globe-like capsules that split into three parts to release the small, dark-colored seeds.
Bloom Time
Prairie blue-eyed grass blooms in May and June.

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