Common Name: Californian blue-eyed grass
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Iridaceae
Zone: 7 to 8
Height: 0.50 to 1.00 feet
Spread: 0.50 to 1.00 feet
Bloom Time: March to May
Bloom Description: Violet-blue with yellow center
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy
Tolerate: Drought, Shallow-Rocky Soil
Culture
Best grown in evenly moist, well-draining soils in full sun. Tolerant of drought once established, but prefers more mesic growing conditions. Hardy in USDA Zones 7-8.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Sisyrinchium bellum, commonly called Californian blue-eyed grass, is a herbaceous perennial native to open woodlands, grassy slopes, bluffs, and riparian areas from Oregon on the western coast of the United States south to northern Baja California, Mexico. Mature clumps have a tufted, grass-like growth habit although they are not closely related to grasses and will reach around 1' tall with an equal spread. The leaves thin and narrowly lanceolate in shape, reaching around 6" long and held in upright fans. The foliage may be semi-evergreen depending on available moisture. The flowering stalks have one or two branching nodes, each branch bearing a single bloom. The small, star-shaped, spring-blooming flowers are pale blue to dark violet-blue with contrasting bright yellow center eyes.
Genus name comes from the ancient Greek name for another plant.
The specific epithet bellum means "pretty" or "handsome".
The common name Californian blue-eyed grass refers to a portion of the native range of this species as well as the color of the blooms.
'Rocky Point' is a compact selection of Californian blue-eyed grass that features larger blooms and wider foliage than the species. Mature clumps will reach 1' tall with an equal spread.
Problems
No major pest or disease problems of note.
Uses
Mixed borders fronts, rock gardens, seaside gardens, path edges, naturalized areas.