578 Bicknell : Studies in Sisyrinchium 



by Dr. Valery Havard, on top of Guadaloupe Mountains, Texas, 

 October, 1881. 



A peculiar species differing markedly from any other known to 

 me. In size of fully developed capsules and seeds and length of 

 peduncles it appears to exceed any other North American species. 



V 



9. Sisyrinchium pruinosum sp. nov. 



Loosely erect or ascending, 15-25 cm. high, rather bright 

 green and glaucescent, but little duller when dry, roots simple and 

 slender. Leaves about three-quarters the height of the plant, 

 1-3.5 mm. wide, the stem-leaves often the broadest, usually per- 

 ceptibly constricted above the conduplicate base, rather thin and 

 lax, the edges smooth, the sides with those of the stem, peduncles 

 and bracts more or less closely fine-roughened with minute white 

 points, under a lens appearing as if covered with hoar-frost ; stems 

 1-2.5 mm - wide, narrowly margined to rather broadly thin-winged; 

 nodes 1-2, the first one usually low on the stem ; peduncles 2-3, 

 erectly ascending, straight and slender, 5-12 cm. in length, often 

 longer than the proper stem ; spathes narrow, the bracts slenderly 

 sharp-attenuate, the usually longer outer one 1 5-30 mm. long, 

 delicately many-nerved, the white-hyaline margins united for 3-5 

 mm. at base ; scales silvery-white and brownish-tinged, equalling 

 the inner bract or shorter ; flowers on hair-like slenderly much- 

 exserted and flexuously-recurved pedicels ; perianth violet-blue 

 with a broad pale-yellow center; segments 10 mm. or more long, 

 short-aristulate-; column 5 mm. high; anthers about 1.5 mm. 

 long ; ovary glabrous. 



Dallas, Texas, April 13, 1900. B. F. Bush, no. 561, "com- 

 mon in woods"; no. 709, much more slender, "common on 

 prairie." 



10. Sisyrinchium Texanum sp. nov. 



Erect or ascending, 12-25 cm - high, dull green and glauces- 

 cent showing more or less discoloration when dry, the bracts and 

 nodes mostly purplish tinged, tufts thinly loose-fibrillose at base, 

 the numerous roots simple and slender. Leaves equalling the 

 height of the plant or nearly so, somewhat withering-persistent, 

 1-2.5 mm - wide, tapering-acute or aculeate, the extreme tip be- 

 coming indurated, firmly close -seriate, the edges smooth to ob- 

 scurely denticulate ; stems from less than 1 mm. to 2 mm. wide, the 

 narrow margins either smooth or strongly denticulate ; node mostly 

 one supporting a slender erect leaf mostly longer than the two or 

 three subequal or unequal erectly diverging peduncles ; peduncles 

 5-1 1 cm. long, slender, smooth to denticulate, the margins broadened 



