Sisyrinchium albidum Rafinesque. White Blue-eyed-grass. Phen: Mar-May; Apr-Jun. Hab: Woodlands, mesic longleaf pine sandhills, open limestone barrens, prairies. Dist: S. NY west to s. WI, south to Panhandle FL and e. TX.

ID notes:"The common name of Sisyrinchium albidum is deceiving because while its flowers are typically white, they are occasionally blue or violet. Other species in the genus can also have white flowers and are often misidentified as White Blue-Eyed Grass. The main difference is S. albidum has simple, unbranched stems with two spathes clustered on top. There are four spathe bracts, but the inner pair is difficult to see because the bract-like cauline leaf often hides them. This species is similar to S. calciphilum but has wider stems." (Spaulding et al. 2023)

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Taxonomy Comments: See discussion and table in Sorrie et al. (2012) about variation in S. albidum, east and west of the Appalachians.

Synonymy: = Ar, C, ETx1, G, Il, K1, K3, K4, Mi, Mo1, NE, NY, Pa, Tn, Va, Sorrie et al (2012); > Sisyrhinchium asheanum E.P.Bicknell – S13; < Sisyrinchium albidum Raf. – FNA26, NcTx, RAB, Tx, W, WH3, Hornberger (1991), Keith (2022); > Sisyrinchium albidum Raf. – F, S, S13; > Sisyrinchium hastile E.P.Bicknell – F; > Sisyrinchium scabrellum E.P.Bicknell – S, 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)
• Great Plains: FACU (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)
• Midwest: FACU (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)
• Northcentral & Northeast: FACU (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)

Heliophily: 8