The Species of Texas and the Southwest 579 



into the base of the spathe ; spathes rather short and broad, usually 

 broadest near the base, becoming pale and somewhat turgid 

 and obscurely nerved on the sides, the edges keeled ; bracts stiff, 

 strongly but rather distantly nerved or becoming so, the outer 

 one varying from stiffly attenuate and longer than the inner to 

 subequal with it and merely acute, united-clasping for about 2 mm. 

 at base ; inner bract usually very obtuse and scarious at the apex, 

 about 15 mm. long; inner scales equalling the shorter bract or 

 nearly so, brownish-tinged ; flowers on erect slightly exserted pedi- 

 cels ; perianth light violet-blue, 10-15 mm. long ; column 4-5 mm. 

 high ; anthers about 1.5 mm. long; ovary obscurely puberulent 

 to glabrate; capsules thick-walled, dark brown, 3-5 mm. high, 

 broadly oblong to subglobose the often apiculate valves bearing a 

 pair of submarginal veins; seeds rather numerous in each cell, 

 not seen when fully mature, less than 1 mm. in diameter, close- 



pitted. 



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Eastern Texas to Louisiana flowering in 



A variable plant perhaps including more than one species. In 

 reduced examples some of the stems may be simple with terminal 

 spathe ; a few stout specimens show the base of the bracteal leaf 

 distinctly roughened with minute points along the nerves. 



A specimen in the Gray herbarium, mounted on a sheet of 

 Elihu Hall's collection forming the type, has every appearance of 

 being distinct and is only provisionally referred here, not being 

 included in the description. The larger leaves which equal the 

 height of the plant are over 35 cm. high and nearly $ mm. wide; 

 the stems bear a short outcurved branch above with a cluster 

 of rather short peduncles ; the spathes are peculiarly thick and 

 blunt, with the inner bract broadly obtuse, in some cases surpass- 

 ing the obtuse or apiculate outer one. 



Texas: Houston, Elihu Hall, no. 636, April 12, 1872; type 

 in herb. N. Y. Bot. Card., N. Y. College of Pharmacy, Mo. Hot. 

 Gard., U. S. Nat. Mus. ; Houston, Lindheimer, 1840, 18 ' 

 Bot. Gard.; Lindheimer, 1842, herb. Gray; Pierce Junction, 

 March 16, 1876, J. J. Good, herb. Mo. Bot. Gard.; April 2. 

 1899, B. F. Bush, no. 32, " Common on prairies " ; Virginia Point, 

 opposite Galveston, April 20, 1899, Prof. W. L. Bray; Hock- 

 ley, J. W. Thurow, 1893, herb. U. S. Nat. Mus. ; April, 1839. 

 Lindheimer, herb. Mo. Bot. Gard. 



Louisiana : Dr. Hale, herb. Torrey. 



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