Macoun’ Blue-eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium idahoense var. macounii
overview
Showy, tufted perennial to 40 cm tall; stems usually flattened and wing-margined. Leaves mostly basal, long (to 20cm).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 (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994). Photo by Jen Pukkonen.
other names
Idaho Blue-eyed Grass
family
Iridaceae
ecological setting
Moist to wet grassy meadows, vernal seepage areas, marshes, roadside ditches; at low to middle elevations (Pojar and MacKinnon 1994).
soil texture
Fine to well-drained.
nutrients
Tolerates poor soil conditions (Tenenbaum et al., 1994).
soil reaction salinity
Mildly acidic to alkaline (pH 5.5 to 7.5) (Henderson, 1976).
moisture regime
Dry to fresh (Tenenbaum et al., 1994).
shade tolerance
Full sun to partial shade (Tenenbaum et al., 1994).
successional status
Considered a "weedy" species and a good colonizer (Alverson, 2002).
bec zone subzone status
No information but probably a component of moister meadows in Garry oak ecosystems.
site rehabilitation
Possible reclamation species in moister pockets in selected sites (Winters, 2002).
wildlife
Solitary bees of the family Megachilidae are mainly responsible for cross-pollination in natural populations (Henderson, 1976).
landscaping
Mass-plant to create a showy display in a border or a rock garden (Tenenbaum et al., 1994).
flowering time
May to July
fruit ripening time
July to September
seed collection time
August to September
crop intervals
Annual
seed viability
Variable
collection and abstraction
Collect capsules by hand when ripe into collecting bags. Allow to dry further and then shake bags to extract seeds (Schultz et al., 2001).
seed storage
Cold store at 5º C for up to three years (Schultz et al., 2001).
fruit seed dormancy treatment
Seal seeds in a Ziploc-style bag or a Rubbermaid-style container in equal amounts of seed to perlite or vermiculite, and add just enough water to moisten the mixture. Cold stratify at 5º C for 8 to 12 weeks (Schultz et al., 2001).
vegetative propagation
Excellent propagation success rates achieved through plant division. For greatest success, divide plant clumps in the spring.
additional info and photos
For more information and pictures, visit the E-Flora BC website at www.eflora.bc.ca.