Funeral Mountain Blue-Eyed Grass: A Rare Desert Gem Worth Protecting
Meet one of the desert Southwest’s most elusive botanical treasures: Funeral Mountain blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium funereum). This tiny perennial might not win any popularity contests in the gardening world, but it’s got a story worth telling – and a conservation status that demands our respect.
What Makes This Plant Special
Funeral Mountain blue-eyed grass isn’t your typical garden center find, and there’s a good reason for that. This native perennial belongs to the iris family and calls only a small corner of the American Southwest home. Despite its common name, it’s not actually a grass at all – it’s what botanists call a forb, which is essentially a fancy way of saying it’s an herbaceous flowering plant without woody stems.
Like its blue-eyed grass cousins, this species likely produces delicate, small flowers that add subtle charm to its harsh desert environment. But here’s the thing that makes this plant truly special: it’s incredibly rare.
Where You’ll Find It (If You’re Lucky)
This botanical rarity has chosen to make its home exclusively in California and Nevada, earning it the distinction of being native to the lower 48 states but found nowhere else in the world. The Funeral Mountain part of its name gives us a clue about its preferred real estate – it’s likely found in mountainous desert regions where few other plants dare to venture.
The Rarity Factor: Why This Matters
Here’s where things get serious. Funeral Mountain blue-eyed grass has a Global Conservation Status of S2S3, which puts it in the rare to uncommon category. In plain English? This plant is hanging on by a thread in the wild, and every individual matters for the survival of the species.
What does this mean for gardeners? Simply put, this isn’t a plant you should be trying to dig up from the wild or casually adding to your shopping list. Wild collection could seriously harm the few remaining populations.
Wetland Connections in Arid Lands
Interestingly, despite living in some of the driest regions of North America, this species is classified as Facultative Wetland in both the Arid West and Western Mountains regions. This means it usually hangs out near water sources – think seasonal streams, springs, or other moisture-rich spots that provide relief in an otherwise parched landscape.
Should You Grow It?
The short answer? Probably not, and here’s why:
- Conservation concerns: With its rare status, wild populations need every plant they can get
- Extremely limited availability: You’re unlikely to find this species in cultivation or through commercial sources
- Specialized needs: This plant has evolved for very specific conditions that are difficult to replicate in typical garden settings
- Unknown cultivation requirements: There’s simply not enough information available about successfully growing this species
Better Alternatives for Your Garden
If you’re drawn to the idea of blue-eyed grasses in your landscape, consider these more common and garden-friendly alternatives:
- Western blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum): More widely available and better suited to cultivation
- California blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium californicum): Another native option with better garden performance
- Narrow-leaf blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium): Hardy and adaptable to various garden conditions
How You Can Help
Instead of trying to grow Funeral Mountain blue-eyed grass, consider supporting its conservation:
- Support organizations working to protect rare desert habitats
- Choose other native plants for your garden to support local ecosystems
- If you’re hiking in California or Nevada, practice Leave No Trace principles
- Spread awareness about the importance of protecting rare plant species
The Bottom Line
Funeral Mountain blue-eyed grass serves as a reminder that not every beautiful native plant belongs in our gardens. Sometimes, the best way to appreciate these natural treasures is to leave them where they belong – clinging to life in their specialized desert mountain homes, adding their quiet beauty to landscapes that have remained unchanged for thousands of years.
By choosing more common native alternatives for our gardens and supporting conservation efforts, we can ensure that future generations might still have the chance to encounter this rare gem in the wild. After all, some plants are meant to remain wild – and that’s perfectly okay.
