£90 Bjcknell : Studies in Sisvrinchium 



perianth light violet-blue, the obovate or obovate-oblong segments 

 about 10 mm. long, mostly retuse, mucronate ; stamineal-column 

 short, 4 mm. high ; anthers 1.5 mm. long; ovary glabrous ; cap- 

 sules on more or less spreading pedicels, 4 mm. or more high, the 

 valves more or less distinctly trinervate. 



Texas: Columbia, Brazoria county, April 9, 1899, ''common 

 on prairie," B. F. Bush, no. 66. 



A well-characterized species of very distinct habit by reason 

 of its widely sinuous and compound, broadly-leaved stems and 

 branches and numerous interclustered peduncles. 



more 



^ "23. Sisyrinchium Helleri sp. no v. 



Spreading or suberect in loosely many-stemmed tufts, dull green 

 or glaucescent, turning dark when dry, roots long and slender. 

 Basal leaves about half the length of the stems, 1-2 mm. wide, thin, 

 rather openly weak-nerved when full grown, narrowly acute, mostly 

 smooth-edged ; stems mostly shorter than the peduncles, usually 

 spreading or ascending, and geniculate at the one or two nodes, 

 8-20 cm. long over all, 1-1.5 mm. wide, narrowly firm margined, 

 the edges smooth to erect-denticulate ; peduncles 2-4, 

 unequal and diverging, 3-9 cm. long, sometimes twice the length 

 of the stem, mostly 1 mm. or less wide, smooth-edged or nearly 

 so ; stem-leaves usually much shorter than the peduncles, rather 

 abruptly broadened and loosely clasping below, the lower margins 

 conspicuously white-hyaline ; spathes mostly deflected, broadest 

 about the middle and somewhat lenticular in outline, mostly 

 15-18 mm. long and 3-5 mm. wide, the bracts closely fine-striate 

 with broadly white-hyaline margins, sharply acuminate or some- 

 times obtuse-pointed, the more convex boat-shaped inner one 

 usually a little surpassing the outer which is connate for 2-4 mm. 

 at base ; scales brownish, equalling the bracts or nearly so : flowers 

 on erect pedicels 15-25 mm. long, equalling or much surpassing 

 the bracts ; perianth rather deep, bright blue, 10 mm. or more 

 long, the segments obovate or narrower, scarcely or not emargi- 

 nate, mucronate-aristulate ; stamineal-column 4-5 mm. high; 

 anthers small, about 1 mm, long ; capsules on more or less spread- 

 ing or recurved pedicels, rather large, subglobose and 4-6 mm. 

 high or becoming obovoid-oblong and 7 mm. high, the dark-brown 

 valves without nerves ; seeds not fully mature, rather large, 2-5 

 in each cell. 



Texas : Nueces county, along Corpus Christi Bay, April 9- 

 12, 1894, A. A. Heller. Type, "Plants of Southern Texas, no. 



1552. 



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