Northern Yelloweyed Grass

Most or all known populations of this species fall within the boundaries of Wisconsin glaciation. The long stems (a trait not known for other North American species) are a response to the burial of the clump bases in deep sphagnum.

Herbs, perennial, cespitose, 5--30 cm. Stems compact. Leaves in narrow fans, 4--15 cm; sheaths reddish, soft, papillate; blade deep green, narrowly linear, 0.8--2(--3) mm wide, smooth, margins smooth to papillate. Inflorescences: scape sheaths exceeded by leaves; scapes linear, wiry, terete, (0.25--)0.5-- 0.8(--1) mm wide, distally with 2--4 ribs, ribs papillate; spikes broadly to narrowly ellipsoid or ovoid, 4--8 mm; fertile bracts 3--4(--4.5) mm, margins erose or minutely fimbriolate, sometimes with narrow reddish border, apex very slightly to slightly keeled. Flowers: lateral sepals slightly exserted, straight, 4.2--4.7 mm, keel scarious, entire or apically lacerate, apex red, narrow, firm; petals unfolding in morning, blade obovate, 3--4 mm; staminodes bearded. Seeds translucent, narrowly ellipsoid, (0.6--)0.7--0.9(--1) mm, finely lined.

N.B., Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), N.S., Ont., Que.; Conn., Maine, Mass., Mich., Minn., N.H., N.J., N.Y., Pa., R.I., VtT., Wis.

Flowering summer--fall.

Sphagnous bogs, poor fens, acid seeps, shores of glacial lakes, streams, muskegs, or floating bog mats; 0--500m.

Xyris flexuosa Muhlenberg. var. pusilla A. Gray, Manual ed. 5, 548. 1867; X. papillosa Fassett

Xyris montana Ries, Bull. Torrey Club 19: 38. 1892
Xyris flexuosa var. pusilla A. Gray, Man. ed. 5. 548. 1867.
Sparsely tufted; rhizome elongate, ascending; leaves linear, 4-10 (-15) cm. long, 1.5-2 mm. broad, somewhat obtuse, smooth ; sheath occupying one third to one half the length of the leaf, pale-tawny, opaque, somewhat dilated at base; peduncles 15-30 (-40) cm. tall, 0.8-1 mm. broad, somewhat compressed and bicostate above, smooth, the peduncular sheath nearly equaling the leaves; spike rather few-flowered, ellipsoid or obovoid, 5-8 (-10) mm. long, 3-4.5 mm. thick, the outer barren bracts broadly ovate, about 3 mm. long, nearly rounded at the apex, the flowering bracts broadly obovate, 4.5-5.5 mm. long, about 4 mm. broad, entire or nearly so, chestnut-colored, somewhat shining, with a lanceolate often rather indistinct dorsal area 1-1.5 mm. long; lateral sepals lanceolate-linear, about 4.5 mm. long, 0.5-0.7 mm broad, acute at the apex; keel very narrow, sparsely lacerate-dentate above or nearly entire; seeds fusiform, 0.6-0.7 mm. long.
type LOCALITY: Pocono Mountain. Pennsylvania.
Distribution: Newfoundland to Michigan, Pennslvania, and New Jersey.

Xyris montana, the northern yelloweyed grass, is a North American species of flowering plants in the yellow-eyed-grass family. It grows in eastern and central Canada (from Ontario to Newfoundland) and in the northeastern and north-central United States (from Minnesota to New England and New Jersey).

Xyris montana is a perennial herb up to 30 cm (12 inches) tall with long, narrow leaves up to 15 cm (6 inches) long but less than 3 mm (0.12 inches) wide.