at 



382 Bicknell : Species of the Genus Hydastylus 



A diminutive and very delicate plant growing in the wet and 

 sandy or stony margins of fords of mountain streams, and ap- 

 parently confined to the Sierra Nevadas of middle California. 



Its affinity is with H. Elmeri and reduced examples of the latter 

 approach it closely, but a wide difference appears between fully de- 

 veloped specimens of the two plants. The very much smaller size 

 and shorter narrower leaves of more delicate texture, the small 

 spathes with elongated inner bract, the small flowers with less 

 close-veined segments, small anthers and mostly flexuously long- 

 exserted pedicels afford a combination of characters which I cannot 

 reconcile with what appear to be the normal characters of H. 

 Elmeri. 



The species is not unlike the smallest examples of H. borealis 

 which, however, is normally altogether larger and stouter, with 

 longer and much broader and more acute leaves, larger spathes and 

 flowers, the outer bract the longer, and but little exserted pedicels. 



Hydastylus longipes sp. nov. 



Pale dull green and glaucescent, not turning dark when dry, 

 from 15 to 30 cm. high, often in narrow tufts. Leaves numerous, 

 mostly about half the height of the stem, closely erect, rather 

 thin, 1-3 mm. wide, narrowed to an obtuse or. acutish usually 

 slightly bent point, the almost hyaline edges smooth : stems from 

 less than 1 mm. to 2.5 mm. wide, the narrow wings smooth- 

 edged : spathes sometimes slightly purplish, rather narrow, 1.5-3 

 mm. wide, erect or a little bent : bracts thin, often only obscurely 

 nerved, outer one 1.7—2.5 cm. long, connate below for 4-6 mm., 

 narrowly hyaline above to the narrowed and obtusely-pointed tip 

 which surpasses the inner bract 2-6 mm.: inner bract much en- 

 closed, the tip white-scarious and obtuse : longer interior scales 

 equaling the inner bract or nearly so : flowers 3-6 on slender, 

 erect, much exserted pedicels 2-3.8 cm. long, sometimes twice the 

 length of the spathes : perianth 8-12 mm. long, apparently orange- 

 yellow, the segments with fine orange or brownish veins, narrowly 

 oblong, rounded or obtusely pointed at apex: stamens 6-7 mm. 

 high, anthers about 4 mm. long : capsules broadly oblong or 

 obovoid-oblong, slightly retuse, 5-7 mm. high, 4-5 mm. wide, 

 thin-walled, turning dark, erect and contiguous : nearly mature 

 seeds irregularly obovoid or subglobose, 1 mm. in diameter, um- 

 bilicate, rugulose pitted. 



High mountains of Arizona and northern Mexico, flowering 

 from early July until after the middle of August. 



