Sisyrinchium nashii E.P. Bicknell. Nash's Blue-eyed-grass. Phen: Apr-Jun. Hab: Dryish woodlands and forests, longleaf pine sandhills, pine rocklands, scrubby flatwoods. Dist: NC and TN (and sw. VA?) south to s. FL and MS.

ID notes: Sisyrinchium nashii appears nearly identical to S. angustifolium in the field because they have broad, branching stems. Nash’s Blue-Eyed-Grass has old leaf bases persisting as a tuft of bristle-like fibers at the plant base, whereas S. angustifolium lacks them. Poorly collected (“top-snatched”) samples of S. nashii may lack bristles, but its foliage typically dry light olive green, and its fruit dries tan to beige. Sisyrinchium angustifolium turns dark olive-green to bronze, and its capsules dark brown to black when dried. These two species also grow in different habitats; Sisyrinchium nashii grows in drier upland soils, whereas S. angustifolium typically grows in low, moist ground." (Spaulding et al. 2023).

Origin/Endemic status: Endemic

Synonymy ⓘ: = FNA26, K1, K3, K4, Tn, W; = n/a – C; > Sisyrhinchium floridanum E.P.Bicknell – S13; < Sisyrinchium arenicola E.P.Bicknell – RAB; > Sisyrinchium fibrosum E.P.Bicknell – S, S13; < Sisyrinchium nashii E.P.Bicknell – WH3; > Sisyrinchium nashii E.P.Bicknell – S13

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FAC (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)
• Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FAC (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)

Heliophily ⓘ: 8