Authors: E. Mey.  

Botanical Description

ex K. Presl. (syn. Olsynium junceum). Very variable in stature, from a tuft of fleshy roots, 5-90cm tall in bloom. Leaves wiry, rush-like, 6-23cm long. Flowers pink to white, starry, 1.5-2cm across with a yellow throat, sometimes with darker veins, rarely crimson at the base, spring in the wild. S.j. subsp. depauperatum has white flowers and glabrous seed capsules. S.j. subsp. colchaguense produces pink flowers with shortly hairy capsules. Peru to Chiloe mainly at alpine levels in the bare wet soil at the edge of snow melt. Tiny plants with reddish flowers from Peru and Bolivia have been called S. porphyreum. S. philippii is 12-45cm tall, shortly rough hairy with horizontally spathes, larger pink flowers and rough or glandular-hairy seed pods. Subsp. illapelinum is similar but entirely glabrous. S. scirpoideum is similar but more robust with a whip-like stem bract overtopping the spathe, pointed tepals and hairy capsules. Subsp. leucanthum has white flowers with spathulate tepals and a very slender habit.