Bermuda’s national flower is struggling for survival — in Ireland.

According to the Irish Times the Bermudiana, generally considered to be endemic to Bermuda, has been flowering in Ireland for more than 150 years.

“What nobody seems to know for sure is whether it’s native to Ireland and was introduced to Bermuda, or vice versa,” the story said.

“Given its flowering habits — the starlike petals open only on sunny days — you’d expect it to prefer Bermuda’s humid subtropical climate to the uncertainties of Irish weather.”

The Bermudiana, was first reported in Ireland in 1845 where it is known as blue-eyed grass or by the Irish name feilistrín gorm, which translates to “little blue iris”.

The plant is a common sight in Bermuda but it is considered endangered in the Republic of Ireland and it is protected by legislation in British-run Northern Ireland.

Conor McKinney, a landscape manager with the conservation group Ulster Wildlife, told the Irish newspaper that the flower has faced challenges in Ireland, in part because of farming habits in the area. “It won’t open up on cloudy days, only when the sun is high in the sky. And it’s very small and quite delicate — so it is easily overlooked,” he said.

“Many sites were seeded with very aggressive rye grasses which overtake the native species, of which blue-eyed grass would be one.

“Farmers were often told to spray fields ‘until that purple flower disappeared’. That was regarded as good farming practice.”