Mountain blue-eyed grass facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mountain blue-eyed grass |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Sisyrinchium
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| Species: |
sarmentosum
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The Sisyrinchium sarmentosum is a pretty flowering plant often called mountain blue-eyed grass or pale blue-eyed-grass. It belongs to the iris family. You can find it growing naturally in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, specifically in parts of the Cascade Mountains in Washington and Oregon.
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
This plant is a perennial herb, which means it's a plant without a woody stem that lives for more than two years. It can grow up to about 32 centimeters (about 12.5 inches) tall.
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves look like grass and grow around the bottom of the plant. They are long and thin, reaching up to 20 centimeters (about 8 inches) in length. Each flower has six pale blue petals, called tepals, with yellow parts at their base. These tepals are about a centimeter long or a little bit longer. Each one has a rounded tip with a tiny bristle in the middle.
Fruit
After the flowers bloom, the plant produces a round, brown fruit called a capsule. This capsule is about half a centimeter long. The flowers usually open in the late morning or around midday. In lower areas, they bloom in June, and in higher mountain areas, they bloom in July.
Where Does It Live?
This special plant grows in mountain meadows in southern Washington and northern Oregon. Most of the places where it's found are inside the Gifford Pinchot and Mt. Hood National Forests.
Its Home Environment
You'll usually find these plants in wet areas that get lots of snow in the winter. They grow at certain elevations, often in areas where Pacific silver fir and grand fir trees grow. The meadows where they live are surrounded by conifer trees and other meadow plants like different types of grasses and wildflowers.
How Does It Reproduce?
The mountain blue-eyed grass can make new plants in two ways: through seeds and by cloning itself. Cloning means it can grow new plants from its roots or stems, creating exact copies of the parent plant.
Challenges for the Plant
One big problem for this plant is grazing by cattle. When cattle eat the plants, it makes it harder for them to produce seeds. So, the plant often has to rely more on cloning. This can be a problem because cloning reduces the genetic diversity of the plant populations, meaning they are all very similar and might not adapt well to changes. A large number of these plants live in one area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest that is used for grazing.
Another challenge is when natural fires are stopped. Normally, small fires would help keep the meadows open. But without them, larger trees and bushes can grow into the meadows, blocking the sunlight and competing with the blue-eyed grass.
Other Threats
Invasive species are also a threat. These are plants that are not native to the area and can take over the habitat. Other things that can harm the plant include outdoor activities, mixing with other types of blue-eyed grass (called hybridization with Sisyrinchium idahoense), and logging activities.
