344 Bjckxell: Studies in Sisyrinchium 



which is frequent or common in Minnesota and Missouri. The 

 leaves are relatively long and with the stems mostly less than i 

 mm. wide, the spathes small and slender in proportion, the outer 

 bract and frequently the inner one very slenderly attenuate. Cer- 

 tain of these slender specimens from Minnesota have numerous 

 unusually elongated leaves considerably surpassing the stems, very 

 short spathes and pedicels and capsules only 1.5-2,5 mm. high; 

 some of these specimens have no purplish tinge in the bracts and 



■ 



appear to be scarcely glaucescent ; rarely their bracts are quite 



glabrous. 



Sisyrinchium campestre Kansanum var. nov. 



cr 

 fc> 



Pale and glaucous, rarely showing any purple tinge in the 

 bracts, i 5-30 cm. high. Leaves stiff and erect, straight or falcate, 

 often equaling the stem, 1-2.5 ^^'^- wide, closely striate, mostly 

 cuspidate-acute, smooth-edged, sometimes when young roughened 

 on the sides with minute points : stems 1-2 mm. wide, the wings 

 mostly wider than the proper stem and perceptibly broadened into 

 the base of the spathe, striate, the edges smooth ; sides of the 

 stem sometimes minutely roughened especially near the top : 

 spathes stiffly erect, the broad base appearing abruptly transverse 

 across the top' of the stem, the bracts herbaceous and striate, 

 smooth or rarely obscurely scabrous ; primary bract stiff, erect or 

 curved, slenderly prolonged, 2.5-6.5 cm. long, surpassing the in- 

 ner bract 1.2-3.0 cm., blunt-pointed or slenderly acute, the mar- 

 ins below narrowly white-hyaline, usually not at all united at the 

 base; inner bract 1. 5-2.7 cm. long, broad below and abruptly 

 emerging from the outer one, keeled, herbaceous-attenuate or the 

 broad white -scarious margins abruptly narrowed to the obtuse or 

 merely acute apex. Flowers white, large, the perianth delicate, 

 sometimes over 14 mm. long, its divisions obovate-oblong, appar- 

 ently not emarginate and very short aristulate ; stamincal column 

 4 mm. high; pedicels 12-17 nam. long, shorter than the inncr 

 bract, more or less margined : capsules apparently not larger than 

 in 5. campcsh-e, trilobulate-subglobose, 3-5 mm. high, glandular 

 puberulent when young ; mature seeds not seen : roots stronger, 

 darker and less fibrillose than in 5. campestre. 



Eastern and middle Kansas and Oklahoma, doubtfully from 

 southeastern Nebraska and western Missouri, occurring on prairies 

 and flowering from the middle of April into June. Kansas: 

 Davis Co., Ft. Riley, April 27, 1892, type, in Herb. Columbia 



iley Co., J. B. Norton, T. Bassler ; McPherson Co., 



J. E. Bodin; Douglas Co., "J. G. B." Oklahoma: " Waugh. 



)> 



