Sisyrinchium californicum

Golden-eyed-grass, Golden-Eyed-Grass

Family: Iridaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Golden-eyed-grass is a California native perennial found in northern coastal regions, Klamath Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada, and San Francisco Bay Area in generally moist coastal places at elevations below 1,220 meters. Flowering from spring to late summer, this plant produces bright yellow flowers with brown-tinged veins 11 to 18 millimeters long. Growing in dense tufts with slender stems 2 to 7 millimeters wide and reaching up to 62 centimeters tall, the plant has dull green stems that dry to nearly black. Its leaves are distinctive, emerging without leaf-bearing nodes and surrounded by translucent bracts that widen toward the flower tip. The plant forms compact clusters with delicate, sun-bright yellow blossoms characteristic of its grasslike appearance.

Habitat: Generally moist places near coast

Bloom period: Spring-late summer

Elevation: generally < 1220 m

Bioregions: NCo, KR, NCoRI, n SNH, n&ampc CCo, SnFrB

California counties: Del Norte, Monterey, Mendocino, San Mateo, Marin, Humboldt, Sonoma, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Trinity, Lake, El Dorado, Napa, Madera, Kern, Santa Cruz

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.