page_title: Sisyrinchium
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Sisyrinchium / Description
caption_attribution_description: Sisyrinchium californicum at the University of California Botanical Garden, Berkeley, California
context_page_description: Sisyrinchium is a large genus of annual to perennial flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. Native to the New World, the species are known as blue-eyed grasses and, though not true grasses and in varieties with flower colors other than blue, are monocots.
  Several species in the eastern United States are threatened or endangered.
context_section_description: These are not true grasses, but many species have the general appearance of grasses, as they are low-growing plants with long, thin leaves. They often grow on grasslands. Many species resemble irises, to which they are more closely related. Most species grow as perennial plants, from a rhizome, though some are short-lived (e.g. S. striatum), and some are annuals (e.g. S. iridifolium).
  The flowers are relatively simple and often grow in clusters.
  Many species, particularly the South American ones, are not blue, despite the common name. The genus includes species with blue, white, yellow, and purple petals, often with a contrasting centre. Of the species in the United States, the Western Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium bellum, is sometimes found with white flowers, while the California Golden-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium californicum, has yellow flowers.
caption: Sisyrinchium californicum
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