302 IXIACEAE 
37. Sisyrinchium minus Engelm & Gray. Plants ascending, in loose tufts, deep 
green, usually turning very dark when dry; blades thin, delicately nerved, 2-7 cm. long, 
1-4 mm. wide, the edges roughened : scapes 0.5-2.5 dm. long, branched and leafy from 
near the base, margined or narrowly winged, the nodes 2-6, the branches and peduncles 
more or less diverging or outcurved : peduncles 4-6 cm. long, the ultimate ones a diverging 
pair, or solitary : spathes flattened, the bracts very unequal, the larger outer one foliaceous, 
1.3-3.5 em. long: flowers on hair-like slightly exserted pedicels: perianth very small, 
5-6 mm. long, reddish purple or yellowish white: capsules light brown, corrugated, ob- 
long, 3-5 mm. high: seeds very small, 0.5-0.75 in diameter, strongly pitted. 
In damp soil or low prairies, central and eastern Texas to Louisiana. Spring. 
38. Sisyrinchium colubríferum Bicknell. Plants suberect or spreading, in firm, 
leafy tufts 2 dm. tall or more, dull green, turning brownish, mostly purplish at the nodes. 
Leat-blades broad and thin, 5-7 mm. wide, the edges mostly smooth : scapes numerous, 
branched from near the often outcurved base, the internodes and often compound branches 
more or less stiflly sinuous, broadly thin-winged, 2-5 mm. wide, the edges denticulate-ser- 
rulate: peduncles in clusters of 3-4, mostly curved, 5-10 cm. long: bracts of the spathe 
thin, closely many-nerved, acuminate, the outer one a little the longer: flowers on some- 
what exserted pedicels: perianth light violet-blue, about 10 mm. long: staminal column 
short, 4 mm. high : capsules on somewhat spreading pedicels, 4 mm. high or more ; the 
valves distinctly 3-nerved. 
In sandy soil, eastern Texas. Spring. 
39. Sisyrinchium rosulàtum Bicknell. Plants ascending or prostrate in small rosu- 
late tufts or larger plants becoming 2 dm. high, pale green, not drying dark: leaves 2-8 
cm. long; blades 1-2 mm. wide, the margins serrulate: scapes often branched from near 
the base and geniculate, the nodes 2 or more, each supporting mostly two peduncles : 
peduncles mostly long and slender, 2-10 cm. long, often more broadly margined than the 
scape: spathes relatively large, about 2 cm. long, the bracts foliaceous, equal or unequal : 
perianth reddish purple, rather small: capsules broadly globose, on capillary flexuously 
spreading pedicels, pale but purplish tinged, 2.5-3.5 mm. high the valves without lateral 
nerves: seeds numerous, very small, 0.5-0.75 mm. in diameter, finely alveolate. 
In sandy soil, Mobile, Alabama and Charleston, South Carolina. Spring. 
40. Sisyrinchium Hélleri Bicknell. Plants 0.8-2 dm. tall, spreading or suberect 
in stiff, loosely many-stemmed tufts, glaucescent, turning dark. Leaves about 4 the 
length of the scapes ; blades 1-2 mm. wide, thin, mostly smooth-edged : scapes 1-1.5 mm. 
wide, mostly geniculate at the 1 or 2 nodes, narrowly firm-margined, the edges smooth or 
denticulate : peduncles 2-4, more or less unequal and diverging, 3-9 cm. long, sometimes 
twice the length of the scapes, longer than the bracteal leaves: spathes 1.5-1.8 cm. long, 
the bracts closely fine-striate, acuminate, the inner one usually the longer : flowers on erect 
pedicels equalling or much surpassing the bracts: perianth deep blue, 10 mm. long or 
more: capsules on spreading or recurved pedicels, dark, subglobose or obovoid, 4-7 mm. 
high, the valves not 3-nerved: seeds rather large, 2-5 in each cavity. 
On the coast, southeastern Texas. Spring. 
41. Sisyrinchium implicàtum Bicknell. Plants densely tufted, the numerous slen- 
der scapes mostly curved or ascending in a loose entanglement, pale dull green and glau- 
cescent. Leaf-blades 0.5-1 mm. wide, few-nerved : scapes 15-20 cm. long, longer than 
the leaves, less than 1 mm. wide, firm but frail, narrowly margined, the edges smooth or 
denticulate, geniculate above at the single node which supports a pair of short capillary 
peduncles 2-4 cm. long, subequal with their slender bracteal leaf : spathes very small, 1.0- 
1.5 cm. long, the subequal bracts close-nerved, slenderly acute or se inner one scarious- 
obtuse and apiculate: flowers small on hair-like slightly exserted pedicels: perianth deli- 
cate, pale blue, about 8 mm. long: staminal column 4-5 mm. high. 
In wet bottoms, Calhoun County, Mississippi. Spring. 
42. Sisyrinchium fláccidum Bicknell. Plants forming many-scaped finally diffuse or 
spreading tufts, 1-2 dm. high, rather deep green, turning dark when dry. Leaves fre- 
quently as long as the scapes ; blades thin and lax, delicately nerved, 1-3 mm. wide, the 
edges smooth : bracteal leaves elongated: scapes weak, 0.5-1.5 mm. wide, two-edged or 
narrowly thin-winged, the edges mostly smooth : nodes mostly 2: peduncles very straight 
and slender, 4-9 cm. long: spathes narrow, the thin bracts delicately many-nerved, nar- 
rowly acuminate or acute, 13-20 mm. long, the outer one often the longer: perianth deep 
purple-blue, 8-10 mm. long: ovary glabrous. 
On prairies, eastern Texas. Spring. 
43. Sisyrinchium pruinósum Bicknell. Plants glaucescent, not darkening when 
dry, 1.5-2.5 dm. high, the sides of the scapes, leaf-blades and bracts closely roughened all 
