Flower Garden Lovers

A Grass is a Flower in the Wild Flower Garden?

Today this wild flower also goes by the common name narrow-leaf blue-eyed grass. Contrary to the name, however, it is not a grass. It is a member of the Iris family. The Narrowleaf Blue-eyed Grass wild flower has a small beautiful blue flower with a yellow center. As a Iris family member it likes moist but well-drained soil. It can be found in meadows, fields, and forest edges. Individual plants can live for five or more years. The narrow-leaf blue-eyed grass prefers to grow in full sun but will tolerate some light shade.

POINTED BLUE-EYED GRASS; EYE-BRIGHT; BLUE STAR (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) Iris family

Flowers - From blue to purple, with a yellow center; a Western variety, white; usually several buds at the end of stem, between 2 erect unequal bracts; about 1/2 in. across; perianth of 6 spreading divisions, each pointed with a bristle from a notch; stamens 3, the filaments united to above the middle; pistil 1, its tip 3-cleft.

Stem: 3 to 14 in. tall, pale hoary green, flat, rigid, 2-edged.

Leaves: Grass-like, pale, rigid, mostly from base.

Fruit: 3-celled capsule, nearly globose.

Preferred Habitat - Moist fields and meadows.

Flowering Season - May-August.

Distribution - Newfoundland to British Columbia, from eastern slope of Rocky Mountains to Atlantic, south to Virginia and Kansas.

Only for a day, and that must be a bright one, will this "little sister of the stately blue flag" open its eyes, to close them in indignation on being picked; nor will any coaxing but the sunshine's induce it to open them again in water, immediately after. The dainty flower, growing in dense tufts, makes up in numbers what it lacks in size and lasting power, flecking our meadows with purplish ultramarine blue in a sunny June morning. Later in the day, apparently there are no blossoms there, for all are tightly closed, never to bloom again. New buds will unfold to tinge the field on the morrow.

Usually three buds nod from between a pair of bracts, the lower one of which may be twice the length of the upper one but only one flower opens at a time. Slight variations in this plant have been considered sufficient to differentiate several species formerly included by Gray and other American botanists under the name of S. Bermudiana.

This wild flower would make a great addition to a wild flower garden or an area that you are trying to "naturalize". Having drifts of this one would make it more appealing as the flowers are smaller. After blooming you may wish to mow the area over to prevent self-seeding and the seeds getting where you do not intend. It can also be propogated from the root, or "bulb", as well as from seed. Some states include this wild flower in some of their reclamation projects wherein they are trying to reseed state property with native wild flowers. You should also be able to find a wild flower supplier to provide you with seed if you wish this one in your flower garden. Just take a look around.

© 2005, Sandra Dinkins-Wilson

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© 2005, Sandra Dinkins-Wilson. Find more articles for Flower Garden Lovers at our informative website, http://flowergardenlovers.com.
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