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Common Name: Bermuda Blue-Eyed Grass

General Information

Sisyrinchium angustifolium is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.40 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Western Ireland. South-eastern N. America. Naturalized in Britain.

Habitat

Sandy woods in Texas[]. Naturalised in Britain where it grows in marshy meadows and on lake shores[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.40 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a moist but well-drained humus-rich loamy soil and a position in full sun, though it will tolerate part-day shade[].
[] gives a hardiness rating of zone 3 to this plant (tolerating winter temperatures down to about -40°c) but then says that the plant will need the protection of a cold greenhouse in areas where the temperature falls much below freezing[].
Plants will often self-sow when growing in a suitable position[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - cooked[]. They are mixed with other greens[].

Medicinal

The root is astringent[]. An infusion is used to treat diarrhoea in adults and children[].
The leaves are eaten as a cooked green to regulate the bowels[].
An infusion of the plant has been used to treat stomach complaints and stomach worms[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse in the autumn, though it can also be sown in the spring. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out in late spring, after the last expected frosts.
Division in early spring.