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Taxon  Report  
Olsynium douglasii  (A. Dietr.) E. P. Bicknell
Douglas' grasswidow
Olsynium douglasii is a perennial herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
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Bloom Period
Subspecies and Varieties:
Genus: Olsynium
Family: Iridaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Monocot
Jepson eFlora section: monocot

Wetlands: Occurs usually in non wetlands, occasionally in wetlands

Habitat: slopes

Communities: Sagebrush Scrub, Yellow Pine Forest, Northern Oak Woodland, Foothill Woodland, Northern Juniper Woodland

Name Status:
Accepted by PLANTS

Alternate Names:
ICPNSisyrinchium douglasii
Information about  Olsynium douglasii from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
USDA PLANTS Profile (OLDO)

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ID Tips on PlantID.net

Olsynium: a name applied by C.S. Rafinesque who "explained Olsynium as "hardly united" referring to the stamens. He didn't explain what Greek root he used to indicate 'hardly,'" (from David Hollombe). The Dictionary of Word Roots gives the meaning of the Greek prefix ol- as "whole or entire." The Greek prefix syn- means "together," and the prefix -ium usually means something like "characteristic of" (contributed by Cynthia Powell)

[Wikipedia] Common Names, Single Species in Genus: Olsynium douglasii is a species of flowering plant in the iris family (Iridaceae). Common names include Douglas' olsynium,[2] Douglas' grasswidow,[3] grass-widow, blue-eyed grass, purple-eyed-grass, and satin flower,[4] It is the only species in the genus Olsynium in North America, the remaining 11 species being from South America. It was formerly treated in the related genus Sisyrinchium. Despite the common names, it is not a true grass (Poaceae). (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 03/28/2024).