Search / Plant Profile / Sisyrinchium dichotomum

Plant Profile

Reflexed Blue-eyed-grass (Sisyrinchium dichotomum)

Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
Legal Status: Federally Endangered
Family: Iridaceae
State: NC, SC
Nature Serve ID: 131951
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection: 02/09/1992

Description:

This species is a narrow endemic found only at four sites in the upper piedmont region of North Carolina. These populations are extremely threatened. Two of them are within highway rights-of-way and another is in an area that was planned for residential development by the private owners. This last population is sadly the largest containing about a thousand plants. One of the populations is on public land maintained by the NCDOT which may be this species only hope of survival. This irisette has only held on in areas that are regularly disturbed such as power line maintenance (without the use of herbicide) and road maintenance areas. Unfortunately road maintenance is known to hurt these plants so artificial disturbance is clearly not as good as the original natural disturbance that this species relied on (probably fire and grazing by native animals). (USFWS 1990, NatureServe 2001)

Where is Reflexed Blue-eyed-grass (Sisyrinchium dichotomum) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Rich, basic soils in clearings and the edges of upland woods where the canopy is thin and where erosion has removed the deep little layer typical of these sites. (USFWS 1990)

Distribution:

Polk, Henderson and Rutherford Counties, N.C. (USFWS 1990), and Greenville County, S.C.

States & Provinces:

Reflexed Blue-eyed-grass can be found in North Carolina, South Carolina

Which CPC Partners conserve Reflexed Blue-eyed-grass (Sisyrinchium dichotomum)?

The North Carolina Arboretum

Not Sponsored

Assigned 06/09/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Endemic to the upper Piedmont of North Carolina, where the populations are restricted to basic soils. As recently as 1942 the species was reported to be fairly common, but suppression of natural disturbances and rapid, widespread development have drastically reduced the amount of suitable habitat within its range. Much of the species' habitat is also being encroached upon by non-native kudzu (Pueraria lobata) and Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). There are currently about 30 occurrences believed extant; 2 of these are protected within the boundaries of Chimney Rock Park. Some populations are surviving in power line and road rights-of-way, where they are vulnerable to herbicide application and other maintenance activities.

01/01/2010

Road maintenance Erosion along steep roadbanks Natural succession due to fire suppression Residential and industrial development Removal of the tree canopy Trampling by tourists Herbicide use Highway expansion and improvements Invasive non-natives

01/01/2010

There are only four sites left consisting of less than 1400 individuals. (USFWS 1990) 1 population of < 100 individuals (Chimney Rock, NC) 1 population of ca. 100 individuals (Pacolet River, NC) 1 population of ca. 200 individuals (Sugarloaf Mountain, NC) population of ca. 1000 individuals (White Oak Mountain, NC)

01/01/2010

None known.

01/01/2010

A recovery plan was written in 1995.