BicKNELL : Studies in Sisvrinchium 



451 



becoming lo mm. long, violet-blue ; capsules 2-3.5 ^^^' ^^sh* 

 subglobose, often broader than long, strongly trigonous; or even 

 trilobulate around an impressed base, pale, scabrous-puberulent, on 

 erect, slightly exserted pedicels : seeds few, 1—3 in each cell, large, 



893, Edw. L. Greene, 

 1868 ; 5500 ft. alt, S. 



oecomnig 1.5 mm. long, rugulose-pittcd. 



Nevada: Humboldt Wells, July 25, 

 Herb. E. L. G.; Diamond Valley, July, 

 Watson, Torrey Herb, and Herb. Mo. Bot. Gard. 



California: Bishop, Owen's Valley, alt. 5000 ft., May 15, 

 1897, M. I^:,- Jones, U. S. Nat. Herb. 



Type specimens from Humboldt Wells, Nev^ada, whicli have 

 been kindly sent me by Professor Greene are not closely matched 

 by anything else I have seen and may perhaps represent a special- 

 ized halophilous type. 



Sisyrinchium leptocaulon sp. nov. 



Growing in erect narrow tufts from coarse fibrous roots, rather 

 bright pale green and glaucescent, the spathes mostly dull pur- 

 plish : stems numerous, very slender, 20—38 cm. high : i mm. 



r 



or less wide, wiry and subterete, slightly constricted just below 

 the spathe, the almost membranous margins very narrow or 

 even obsolete : leaves about half the height of the stem or less, 

 equally slender or sometimes the shorter ones becoming 2 mm. 

 wide, smooth-edged, attenuate, the apex often linear with a thick- 

 ened corneous tip, which is obtuse or acute : spathes very small 

 and narrow, the base less flattened and more narrowed than in 6". 

 Jialopliiluui^ the bracts subcqual or the outer one rarely surpassing 

 the inner 8 mm.; outer bract 1 2-22 mm. long, hyaline-mar- 

 gined to the short and rigid, linear, obtuse prolongation, closely 

 united claspiiig for 2-4 mm. at base ; inner bract hyaline-mar- 

 gined to the very obtuse or truncate scarious apex ; longer interior 

 scales sometimes nearly equaling the inner bract, longer and nar- 

 rower than in S. halophilinn : flowers 3—9, blue or violet, small, 

 the perianth apparently only 7—9 mm. 

 3—6 mm. high; pedicels 13—22 mm. long, erect and exserted for 

 about one quarter of their length, usually flattened and margined : 

 capsules very small, 1.5—3 rnm. high, often distinctly pj'riform 



sometimes abruptly contracted at both ends, finely sea- 



I 



brous-rugulose and' sparsely puberulent, pale but much purplish- 

 tinged, thinner-walled than in S, halophiliun and less strongly 



long, the stamineal-column 



though 



trigonous : 



seeds few, only 1-3 



m 



each 



cell, subglobose 



or 



broadi}' oblong, finely rugulose, i — 1.5 mm. in longer diameter. 



