574 Bicknell : Studies ix Sisyrinchium 



midway in the spathe ; perianth very small and delicate, about 5 

 mm. long, rather broadly seated on the ovary around the point of 

 attachment, appearing pale yellowish but bluish towards the ends 

 of the segments or becoming so, the obscurely nerved segments 

 aristulate ; stamineal column 1.5-2 mm. high, the filaments free at 

 the tip for about 0.5 mm. and slightly diverging ; anthers less than 

 0.5 mm. long, short and broad; base of column dilated and 

 puberulent ; immature capsule trigonous-subglobose, 2 mm. high, 

 sparsely puberulent to glabrate. 



Sandy sea shores at Galveston, Feb. 25, 1890, J. E. Bodin, 

 herb. Univ. of Minn, and U. S. Nat. herb. 



A remarkable little plant, strictly speaking not a true Sisyrin- 

 chium, appearing to represent a transition to the genus Hydastylus. 



3. Sisyrinchium sagittiferum Bicknell, Bull. Torr. Club, 26: 



230. 1899 



Firmly erect in scant tufts 10-30 cm. high, slightly or densely 

 short-fibrillose at base, dull green, sometimes slightly glaucescent, 

 drying dark ; roots clustered, simple, at first slender but becom- 

 ing almost tuberous-thickened on vigorous plants. Leaves often 

 equalling the stems, rather thin but firm, 0.5-3 mm. wide, taper- 

 ing-acute or aculeate with finally indurated tip, closely fine-striate, 

 the edges' smooth to fine-serrulate, the margins of the conduplicate 

 base noticeably white- hyaline : stem scapose and leafless, varying 

 from setaceously slender to 1.5 mm. or even 2 mm. wide, the fine- 

 striate wing margins smooth to aculeately-denticulate, perceptibly 

 widened into the base of the spathe ; spathes single, or on vigorous 

 plants two together within a subtending leafly bract, sessile or the 

 outer one sometimes stipitate, often purplish, flat, sometimes bent 

 backward, the stiff bracts rather strongly few-nerved, the outer one 

 slenderly attenuate, varying from 1.5-3 cm - l° n g * n s ^ n S^ c spathes 

 to 7 cm. when subtending geminate spathes, the narrowly white- 

 hyaline margins separated quite to the base; inner bract 10-17 

 mm. long, broadened and often abruptly emerging from the base 

 of the outer one, broadly white-hyaline, the apex mostly scarious 

 obtuse, or truncate or even emarginate with excurrent mid-vem ; 

 inner scales brownish-tinged, mostly ^ the length of the shorter 

 bract ; flowers rather small on hair-like, more or less flexuously 

 exerted pedicels; perianth thinly membranous and finely nerved, 

 violet or sometimes white, 8-10 mm. long, the segments mostly 

 emarginate, slenderly aristulate ; column 4-5 mm. high ; anthers 

 relatively large, 1.5-2 mm. long; ovary sparsely puberulent; cap- 

 sules on more or less spreading or recurved pedicels, subglobose, 

 3—6 mm. high, developing obscure lateral nerves. 



