Olsynium douglasii

Olsynium douglasii
O. douglasii var. douglasii in Anacortes Community Forest Lands
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Iridaceae
Subfamily:	Iridoideae
Tribe:	Sisyrinchieae
Genus:	Olsynium
Species:	O. douglasii
Binomial name
Olsynium douglasii (A.Dietr.) E.P.Bicknell
Synonyms[1]
Eriphilema grandiflora (Raf.) Herb. Olsynium grandiflorum Raf. Sisyrinchium douglasii A.Dietr. Sisyrinchium grandiflorum Douglas ex Lindl. Sisyrinchium inalatum A.Nelson

Olsynium douglasii (syn. Sisyrinchium douglasii, Sisyrinchium grandiflorum) is a flowering plant, commonly known as Douglas' olsynium,^[2] Douglas' grasswidow,^[3] grasswidow, blue-eyed grass, purple-eyed-grass, or satin flower, ^[4] in the genus Olsynium, native to western North America from southern British Columbia south to northern California, and east to northwest Utah. It is the only species in the genus Olsynium in North America, the remaining 11 species being from South America. It was formerly treated in the related genus Sisyrinchium.

It is a perennial herbaceous bulbiferous plant growing to 10-40 cm tall. The leaves are slender linear, 10-30 cm long and 1.5-3 mm broad. The flowers are bell-shaped, 15-25 mm long, with six purple tepals.

There are two varieties:

• Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii. Coastal western North America. Flower filaments with a narrow base.
• Olsynium douglasii var. inflatum. Interior western North America. Flower filaments with an inflated base.

References

1. The Plant List, Olsynium douglasii
2. "Olsynium douglasii". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
3. "Olsynium douglasii". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 22 July 2015.

• Flora of North America — map
• Plants of British Columbia
• Jepson Flora Project: Sisyrinchium douglasii
• Encyclopedia of Life: Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii