294 IXIACEAE 
Spathes 2 together, or rarely 3. 
Plants smooth (rarely with the bracts obscurely roughened 
in nos. 6 and 8): leaf-blades mostly 1.5-3 mm. wide. 
Plants drying green: capsules pale, 2-3 mm. high. 
Plants drying dark: capsules dark, 4-6 mm. high. 
Plants more or less scabrous (sometimes smooth in no. 8), not 
drying dark: leaf-blades mostly 1-2 mm. wide. 
Spathes mostly green: outer bract of the second spathe 
slender-prolonged: perianth pale blue. 
Spathes mostly red-purple: outer bract of the second spathe 
as long as the inner: perianth deep violet-blue. 
** Spathe subtended by an accessory outer slender bract: tufts of 
plants densely fibrillose at the base. 
b. Tufts of plants with both simple and branched scapes, the latter being 
terminated by 1 or 2 peduncles. 
Scapes wiry, nearly terete: spathes green, mostly narrow and almost 
terete at the base. 
Scapes flattened, distinctly winged : spathes mostly purplish, flattened. 
Plants SE dark: leaf-blades rather thin: bracts of the spathe 
smooth. 
Plants not drying dark: leaf-blades rather stiff: bracts rough. 
B. Scapes branched or bearing 2 or more terminal peduncles. 
Tufts of plants densely fibrous at the base. 
Plants drying very dark. 
Leaves and scapes smooth. 
Bracteal leaf conspicuously elongated; leaf-blades 24 mm. 
wide, finely cross-rugulose. 
Bracteal leaf short and narrow: leaf-blades 1-2 mm. wide, not 
rugulose. 
Leaves and scapes more or less roughened on the sides: interior 
scales much shorter than the bracts of the spathe. 
Plants pale and glaucous, or not very dark when dry. 
Scapes slender, often flexuous, ciliolate-serrulate: plants rather 
bright or deep green: peduncles very short or subfascicled. 
Scapes rather stiff or stout: plants pale or glaucous: peduncles slen- 
der, not fascicled. 
Scapes flattened and wing-margined or broadly winged. 
Leaf-blades and scapes mostly manifestly serrulate : peduncles 
usually 5-10 cm. long: staminal column 4-5 mm. high. 
Leaf-blades and scapes mostly smooth-edged: peduncles 2-5 
em. long: staminal column 2-4 mm. high. 
s subterete or narrowly margined. 
aves numerous ; blades elongated, becoming flexuous, 2-4 
mm. wide: plants flowering from February to March. 
` Leaves few; blades more slender and much narrower and 
shorter: plants smaller, flowering from June to August. 
Tufts of plants without fibers, or not densely fibrous at the base. 
a. Plants more or less stiffly erect or erect-ascending ; scapes not usually 
branched below the middle: peduncles usually shorter than the 
scape proper: species, except S. graminoides, not occurring west 
of the Mississippi River, as far as known. 
Plants drying very dark (except no. 26). 
Seapes and leaf-blades mostly 24 mm. wide or more: pedicels 
finally much spreading or recurved. 
Inflorescence not repeatedly dichotomous. 
Capsule thick-walled: bracts of the spathe closely striate- 
nerved, 2-2.5 em. long. 
Capsule thin-walled: braets of the spathe not closely stri- 
ate-nerved, the inner one 2 em. long or less. 
Perianth about 10 mm. long or more. 
Capsules 2.5-4 mm. high, on recurved pedicels : seeds 
few in each cavity. 
Capsules 3-6 mm. high, on spreading pedicels. 
Interior scales much shorter than the bracts of the 
spathe: seeds numerous. 
Interior scales often equalling the bracts of the 
spathe: seeds 2-3 in each cavity. 
Perianth 5-8 mm. long: capsules 1.5-3 mm. long: seeds 
2-3 in each cavity. 
Inflorescence more or less dichotomous from successive nodes : 
perianth about 5 mm. long, white or perhaps also blue. 
Seapes and leaf-blades mostly 1-2 mm. wide: pedicels erect or 
nearly so. 
Leaves and scapes mostly smooth-edged, the scapes becoming 
widely flexuous: peduncles very slender, 5-12 em. long. 
Leaves and scapes serrulate, erect: peduncles 3-7 cm. long. 
Plants pale or bright green, not drying very dark. i 
Roots thickened and clustered, becoming 1.5 mm. thick or more: 
Florida species, the plants becoming 50-80 em. tall. ; 
Leaves very long, equalling the tufts ; blades 1.5-2.5 mm. wide: 
capsules thin-walled, subglobose, 5-6 mm. high. 
Leaves shorter than the scapes; blades becoming 3-4 mm. 
wide: capsules thick-walled, broadly oblong, 2.5-5 mm. 
Sea 
high. 
Roots less clustered, not thickened, usually slender and fibrous : 
plants mostly 15-50 em. tall. 
ceo» 
10. 
16. 
T7 
18. 
19. 
20. 
21. 
À 
n n ta tn 
26. 
29. 
BSE 
S: 
IS: 
. versicolor. 
Un 
albidum. 
sagittiferum. 
. scabrellum. 
. Asheanum. 
. capillare. 
. biforme. 
intermedium. 
. zerophyllum. 
. fuscatum. 
. incrustatum. 
rufipes. 
S. fibrosum. 
S. 
S. 
. Nashii. 
S. 
tortum. 
Floridanum. 
solstitiale. 
recurvatum, 
. graminoides. 
membranaceum. 
tenellum. 
dichotomum. 
. S. flagellum. 
S. Miamiense. 
S. 
AS 
longifolium. 
corymbosum. 
