GRASS WIDOW
GENESIS NAME: Sisyrinchium inflatum
DISTRIBUTION: ID, NV, OR, UT, WA, AND BC
SEASON: Blooms March thru June
MEDICAL USE:
POISONOUS: No information found on whether this plant has any edible value -- consider poisonous.
EDIBILITY: See above
FEATURES: A member of the iris family (family Iridaceae) which consists of herbs growing from rhizomes, bulbs, or corms, with narrow basal leaves and showy clusters at the tips of long stalks. There are about 60 genera and 1,500 species, distributed in temperate and tropical regions. Among them, Iris, Freesia, Gladiolus, Bugle Lily, and Montbretia are popular ornamentals. Saffron dye is obtained from Crocus, and "essence of violets," used in perfumes, is extracted from the rhizomes of Iris.
LEAVES: The leaves are as tall as the stem, or often shorter.
FRUITS: Grass widow fruits are capsules that break open from the top into three chambers bearing many seeds. A papery septum separates the chambers.
DISTRIBUTION: ID, NV, OR, UT, WA, AND BC
SEASON: Blooms March thru June
MEDICAL USE:
POISONOUS: No information found on whether this plant has any edible value -- consider poisonous.
EDIBILITY: See above
FEATURES: A member of the iris family (family Iridaceae) which consists of herbs growing from rhizomes, bulbs, or corms, with narrow basal leaves and showy clusters at the tips of long stalks. There are about 60 genera and 1,500 species, distributed in temperate and tropical regions. Among them, Iris, Freesia, Gladiolus, Bugle Lily, and Montbretia are popular ornamentals. Saffron dye is obtained from Crocus, and "essence of violets," used in perfumes, is extracted from the rhizomes of Iris.
LEAVES: The leaves are as tall as the stem, or often shorter.
FRUITS: Grass widow fruits are capsules that break open from the top into three chambers bearing many seeds. A papery septum separates the chambers.
DESCRIPTION:
The Grass-Widow is generally very conspicuous because it blooms early and often colors meadows with a sea of purple. It has six purplish, delicate, open-faced petals. This plant may have one to four blossoms each on smooth stems six to ten inches high. A few grass-like leaves surround the stem. The Grass-Widow plants usually grown in tufts. It blooms in April and May and appears soon after the snow leaves.
History: "Sisyrinchium" is a name used for an Iris-like plant. "Inflatum" means inflated referring to the inflated filament tube at the base of the filaments.
Grass Grass widows are one of the first flowers that bloom in the spring. It is found in early spring, in moist conditions from the sagebrush steppe of Eastern Washington to the open ponderosa pine forests of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. Depending on the site, grass widows will bloom starting in late March to May. In Moscow, Idaho, grass widows are usually in bloom during the month of April. Each plant has bright purple to bluish (sometimes white) bowl-shaped flowers that bloom on flattened stems with clumps of grass-like leaves. The flowers are borne singly or in small clusters. They rise from short rhizomes and fibrous roots. Mature height rang
History: "Sisyrinchium" is a name used for an Iris-like plant. "Inflatum" means inflated referring to the inflated filament tube at the base of the filaments.
Grass Grass widows are one of the first flowers that bloom in the spring. It is found in early spring, in moist conditions from the sagebrush steppe of Eastern Washington to the open ponderosa pine forests of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. Depending on the site, grass widows will bloom starting in late March to May. In Moscow, Idaho, grass widows are usually in bloom during the month of April. Each plant has bright purple to bluish (sometimes white) bowl-shaped flowers that bloom on flattened stems with clumps of grass-like leaves. The flowers are borne singly or in small clusters. They rise from short rhizomes and fibrous roots. Mature height rang