456 Bicknell: Studies in Sisvrinchil 



M 



erect,^ rather thin and openly striate-nerved, tapering-acute or 

 acuminate, narrowed to both base and apex, the edges mostly 

 roughened, the inner margins below white-scarious ; stems stout, 

 imple, rarely bearing a terminal leaf subtending an erect pe- 

 duncle, 2-3 mm, wide, prominently winged, the wings with thin 

 serrulate edges, not broadened into the base of the spathe and 

 showing a slight transverse constriction at the top : spathes 

 green, erect, or slightly deflected, 4-6 mm. wide, flat, the bracts 

 foliaceous; primary bract 3.7-8 cm. long, surpassing the inner 

 bract mostly 1-4 cm., only exceptionally^ twice its length, very 

 gradually narrowed to the acute or obtuse pointed apex, the inner 

 margins below narrowly white-hyaline, united for about 5 mm. at 

 the base; inner bract 2.3-4.8 cm. long, often of nearly equal 

 breadth throughout below the abruptly somewhat obtuse apex, 

 or occasionally narrow^ly prolonged ; interior scales narrow, much 

 shorter than the inner bract : flowers few, 1-4, on pedicels mostly 

 a little shorter than the inner bract, large, deep violet-blue with an 

 orange -yellow eye, the perianth 12-14 mm. long ; anthers rela- 

 tively small ; stamineal column about 6 mm. high ; capsules large 

 and thick-walled, dark, obovoid or subglobose, 6-8 mm. high, 

 on erect or slightly spreading pedicels 1-2 cm. long : seeds glo- 



bose, 1.5 mm. in diameter, black, rugulosc -pitted almost to ma- 

 turity when nearly smooth, the umbilicus' usually appearing as a 

 mere cleft. 



Grassy beaches and shores, coast of Alaska, beginning to 



June and early J 



So far as 



known, restricted to the southern Alaskan coast and the only 

 species of Sisynnchium occurring in that territory. Shores of 



J 



J 



3, 1895, M. W. Gorman; shores of Behm canal, Aug. 3, 1894, 



M. W. Gorman ; Sitcha, Ferd. Bischoff, 1865-7, Dr. Tiling, 1S67. 



Although long known and of late years fairly well distributed 



in collections, this Alaskan plant seems never to have been looked 



ustifolium until recently 

 distinguished by Professor Greene, as a matter of fact since the 

 above description was penned. In other writings, as on specimen 

 labels, the plant has been variously referred to as 5. augustifolium 

 under the names S. anccps Cav., ^. Bcnmidiana var. anccps Gray 

 and .S". vincronatum Michx. The species is well distinguished from 

 5. angustifoliuin being larger in every \\'ay, in fact, notwithstand- 

 ing Its boreal habitat the stoutest species of the simple-stemmed sec- 



