Common name: Blue Pigroot, Striped Rush-leaf
Sisyrinchium micranthum Cav. APNI* Synonyms: Sisyrinchium iridifolium Kunth APNI*
Description: Grass-like annual or perennial 10–60 cm high with short rhizome; stems often branched, flattened to winged.
Leaves linear, sword-shaped, 5–20 cm long, 1.5–5 mm wide.
Spathe bracts narrow-lanceolate, subequal, mostly to 5 cm long, acuminate; pedicels 2.5–4 cm long. Perianth 10–15 mm long, 10–20 mm diam., slightly convex near base, with tepals spreading widely or reflexed at apex, white to cream with purple or blue centre, externally purple-striped, pubescent below; lobes oblong, acute to acuminate. Ovary 1–2 mm diam., minutely hairy.
Capsule globose, 3–8 mm diam., glabrous, brown; seeds angular, c. 1 mm diam., dark brown.
Flowering: September–November
Distribution and occurrence: Scattered in eastern half of NSW (probably more commonly than the specimen records indicate). Native of Mexico, Central and S America; also naturalised in other regions including New Zealand.
NSW subdivisions: *CC, *SC, *NT, *CT, *ST, *NWS
Other Australian states: *Qld *Vic. *Tas. *S.A.
This species has been called S. iridifolium Kunth or S. bermudiana (auct. non L.) here in the past. S. micranthum is a variable species morphologically and cytologically; it is not known whether the introduced plants in Australia are diploid, tetraploid or hexaploid.
Text by T. A. James & E. A. Brown (1993) as S. iridifolium; edited KL Wilson (Jan 2014; Jan 2015)
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993) as S. iridifolium
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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