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March 23, 2006 : Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii

Keywords: Iridaceae | Olsynium douglasii (A. Dietr.) Bickn. var. douglasii | 031287-0167-1994

Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii

Douglas's widow-grass is distributed from southern British Columbia to northern California. The species Olsynium douglasii (there are two varieties, var. douglasii and var. inflatum) is the only representative of the genus Olsynium in North America. Eleven other species are distributed in South America.

The common name widow-grass or “grass widow” was apparently coined by the botanist Rafinesque (previously highlighted in a botany resource link from this entry). The Flora of North America account for Olsynium cites Rafinesque's explanation for the common name: “[meaning] hardly united, alluding to the stamens”.

For more photographs, see the entry for Olsynium douglasii on the web site of The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.

Photography resource link: Environmental Photography: Blending Art & Activism by Randy Beacham for Nature Photographers Online. The article features ten “tips” on environmental photography.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at March 23, 2006 12:00 AM

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Comments

Very interesting....."grass widow" is also an older (and not commonly used) term for a divorcee. Wonder if there is any relationship between the plant & the term?

Also, thanks for presenting such a great site! I'm a daily visitor and it always adds a little information and something to think about to my day.

Posted by: Meg at March 23, 2006 8:35 AM

Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii - Z9 - RHS Index of Garden Plants, Griffiths
[but it thrives in my Z8 garden]

Posted by: Beverley at March 23, 2006 9:25 AM

Oh, it's beautiful. I just recently added this site to my MyYahoo! page. I'm lookin' forward to seeing more awesome pics!

Posted by: Sammi at March 23, 2006 5:28 PM

Well hello there, This is one awsome looking plant! I want something just like this in my garden!.. :)

Posted by: Michael Guillen at March 24, 2006 8:03 PM

It says that this is only in southern British Columbia to northern California but I found it in the hills in Newman Lake Washington also.

Posted by: michelle at April 9, 2007 8:42 AM

Michelle, the distribution range from BC to California includes Washington and Oregon.

Posted by: Daniel Mosquin Author Profile Page at April 10, 2007 12:04 AM

Please share your comments about the photograph(s) and accompanying write-up. Telling a story about the subject of the photograph(s) is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!

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Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.