The Species of Texas and the Southwest 589 



0.5 mm. wide, stiff, prominently fine-nerved, the edges, as are 

 those of the stem and peduncles, finely cartilaginous-denticulate, 

 the tips somewhat obtuse ; stems not broader than the leaves, 

 narrowly two-edged, sometimes simple, but mostly branched 

 about the middle into two erectly-ascending, often slightly curved 

 peduncles 1.5-2.5 cm. long, the subtending leaf not surpassing the 

 peduncles ; spathes narrowly oblong, narrowed to each end, the 

 acute or obtuse bracts ic-12 mm. long, or the outer one becom- 

 ing linear-attenuate and 15 mm. long, rather prominently and 

 closely fine-nerved, the keels denticulate, the inner margins of 

 outer bract rather broadly white-hyaline below ; silvery and 

 brownish-tinged, nearly equalling the bracts ; flowers small, on 

 distinctly exserted pedicels, bright purplish-blue, the segments 

 rather narrow and close-nerved, sharp-mucronulate, 6-8 mm. 

 long ; stamineal-column 3-4 mm. high ; anthers about 1 mm. 

 long ; ovary glabrous or glabrate. 



Columbia, Texas, March 25, 1900, Wm. M. Canby. 



A curious little plant, the smallest of our species except S. 

 exile, based on a single specimen sent me by Mr. Canby in a sheet 

 with reduced examples of 5. flaccidiun, a very different plant. It 

 suggests a depauperate state of S. Bitshii, but differs in much nar- 

 rower, more definitely fine-denticulate leaves and stiffly subspread- 

 ing habit, smaller, deeper colored flowers, with very short stami- 

 neal-column, and much smaller anthers. 



y 



22. Sisyrinchium colubriferum 



Suberect or spreading in leafy tufts 20 cm. or more high, sparsely 

 loose-fibrillose at base, dull green, turning brownish-green, mostly 

 purplish at the nodes, roots simple, stiff and slender. Leaves broad 

 and thin, perceptibly narrowed towards the base, sometimes surpass- 

 ing the peduncles, 2-7 mm. wide, not very closely many-nerved, 

 acutely pointed, the edges mostly smooth; stems numerous, 

 branched from near the outcurved or suberect base, the internodes 

 and often compound branches more or less stiffly sinuous, broadly 

 thin-winged, 2-5 mm. wide, the edges finely denticulate-serrulate ; 

 peduncles in clusters of 3-4, numerous by reason of the com- 

 pound stems, mostly curved, 5-10 cm. long, 75 _I -5 mm - wide, 

 approximate or somewhat diverging, denticulate ; spathes nar- 

 rowed to each end, the bracts acuminate, thin, closely many- 

 nerved, the outer one a little longer than the inner, its margins 

 white-hyaline below, connate for 2-3 mm. at base ; scales brown- 

 >*h, three-quarters the length of the inner bract or longer ; flowers 



on slender more or less exserted or slightly spreading pedicels; 



