Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

WHITE-EYED GRASS

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Sisyrinchium campestre Bickn.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Chase County, Kansas

Perennial

Height: 4-16 inches

Family: Iridaceae - Iris Family

Flowering Period: April, May, June

Also Called:

Prairie blue-eyed grass.

Stems:

Tufted, erect, flat, slender, leafless, unbranched, waxy, with 2 edges or narrow ridges called "wings".

Leaves:

Basal, narrow, grass-like, 3 to 10 inches long, less than 1/10 inch wide, pale green, glabrous, waxy, tapered to sharp points.

Inflorescences:

Umbel-like clusters of flowers on thread-like stalks, terminal; sheathed at base by 2 bracts, erect, overlapping, green to dull pinkish purple, outer bract 1 to 2 inches long, inner bract somewhat shorter; tips pointed.

Flowers:

Wheel-shaped, star-like, white to pale blue, centers yellow; perianth segments 6, less than 1/2 inch long; tips with short, awn-like points; stamens 3, united, anthers orange.

Fruits:

Capsules, spherical, less than 1/5 inch across, 3-chambered, green to brown; seeds many, smooth or slightly pitted, black.

Habitat:

Upland prairies and infrequently open woods.

Distribution:

East 1/2 of Kansas.

Uses:

Some Native American tribes treated stomachaches and hay fever symptoms with a tea made by boiling white-eyed grass.

Comments:

The common name is a misnomer because this plant is not a grass. It is a member of the Iris Family.

White-eyed grass flowers