# Roadside Blue-eyed Grass

*Sisyrinchium pruinosum*

Despite its name and grass-like leaves, this plant is actually a member of the Iris family, closely related to gladiolus and crocuses.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Liliopsida › Asparagales › Iridaceae › Sisyrinchium
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Open prairies, meadows, pastures, and grassy roadsides with moist sandy or clay soils.
- **Diet:** Autotrophic (photosynthesis via sunlight, water, and soil minerals)
- **Range:** Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas
- **Size:** 15 to 40 cm tall
- **Lifespan:** Perennial (typically lives 3-5+ years, regrowing from roots each spring)
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat destruction, urban sprawl, and premature mowing of roadsides before the plant can set seed.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. You can safely approach and photograph this plant at any distance. Avoid trampling the delicate blooms, and do not pick them, as they wilt quickly once severed from their roots.

## About

Sisyrinchium pruinosum , the dotted blue-eyed grass , is a perennial plant in the Iridaceae family, native to the south-central United States. There are also reports of the plant in California, but these appear to represent naturalizations. It is sometimes considered to be a synonym of Sisyrinchium langloisii .

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/984111f0-7bb5-41ce-a31c-a7154b8a1281
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/514227
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyrinchium pruinosum
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/64866084/medium.jpg (Sam Kieschnick, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.