300 IXIACEAE 



25. Sisyrinchium tenellum Bicknell. Plants loosely tufted, 1.5-3 dm. tall, dull 

 green, drying dark. Leaves usually openly erect ; blades soft, very thin, 1-3 mm. or even 

 4 mm. wide, distinctly few-nerved, mostly smooth-edged : scapes as long as the leaves or 

 longer, weakly erect, 1-3.5 mm. wide, mostly with Ijroad thin wings, usually with a single 

 node : bracteal leaf erect, usually long and narrow, mostly surpassing the 2 slender pedun- 

 cles: peduncles 3-12 cm. long: spathes green, narrow, often deflected, the bracts membra- 

 nous, weakly or obscurely few-nerved, slenderly attenuate and very acute, the outer one 

 usually somewhat prolonged, 12-25 mm. long : interior scales i the length of the spathes 

 or less : floAvers 3-5: perianth violet-blue, 5-8 mm. long: capsules 1.5-3 mm. high, on 

 capillary exserted pedicels : seeds 2-3 in each cavity, rough, 0.75 mm. in diameter. 



In moist soil, Georgia and Alabama. Late spring. 



26. Sisyrinchium dichdtomum Bicknell. Plants yellowish green and glaucescent, 

 not drying dark, in thin tufts 3-4 dm. high. Leaves half the height of the plant or more, 

 blades 2-6 mm. wide, thin but firm, openly nerved, the edges serrulate to smooth : scapes 

 broadly thin-winged, more or less dichotomously branched mostly above the middle,* from 

 2-4 successive nodes : bracteal leaves prominent : lower peduncles sometimes over 10 cm. 

 long, the uppermost only 3-5 cm. long, often curved : spathes green, small and narrow, the 

 inner bract 8-15 mm. long, the outer one mostly surpassing it, both thin and slender- 

 tipped : perianth very small, white, about 5 ram. long : staminal column 2-3 mm. high : 

 capsules pale, thin-walled, sul)globose, about 3 mm. high, on slender flexuously exserted 

 pedicels : seeds only 1-2 in each cavity, large, 1.5-2 mm. in diameter, becoming smooth or 

 nearly so. 



In woods, Rutherford County, North Carolina. Spring. 



27. Sisyrinchium flagellum Bicknell. Plants very slender and flexuous, 1-3.2 dm. 

 high, slightly glaucescent, drying dark. Leaves as long as the scapes or shorter ; l)lades 

 narrow and flexuous, 0.5-3 mm. wide, few-striate, smooth-edged : scapes 0.75-1.5 mm. 

 mm. wide, narrowly margined, smooth-edged, often flexuous and geniculate at the nodes : 

 nodes 1-2, when two remote, supporting narrow bracteal leaves and 1-3 very slender 

 peduncles 5-12 cm. long : spathes often deflected, 1.5-2 cm. long, the bracts subecjual or 

 the inner one longer, and often scarious-margined to the apex, the outer one narrowly 

 acuminate : interior scales much shorter than the bracts : capsules on erect slightly ex- 

 serted pedicels, subglobose, dark, about 4 mm. high : seeds globose, finely alveolate, about 

 1 mm. in diameter. 



In sand, southern and western peninsular Florida. Also in Cuba. Late winter and early spring. 



28. Sisyrinchium Miamiense Bicknell. Plants dull green and glaucescent, drying 

 dark, 2 dm. tall or more. Leaves about f the height of the plant ; blades 1-1.5 mm. 

 wide, striate-nerved, serrulate : scajjes of the width of the leaves, wing-margined, den- 

 ticulate-serrulate, bearing 2-3 erect peduncles at the top and sometimes an ascending 

 branch lower down : peduncles 3-7 cm. long: spathes 1.3-1.5 cm. long, the outer bracts 

 stiffly acute, slightly longer than the scarious-obtuse inner one : perianth blue, medium- 

 sized : capsules on exserted pedicels, dark, obovoid, 3-5 mm. high : seeds subglobose, 

 1-1.25 mm. in diameter, faintly rugulose-pitted. 



In sand, eastern peninsular Florida. Early spring. 



29. Sisyrinchium longifolium Bicknell. Plants tall and slender, in thin erect tufts 

 5-8 dm. higli, yellowish green and glaucescent. Roots thickened and clustered : leaves very 

 long, about equalling the scapes, erect, l)ecoming flexuous; blades 1.5-2.5 mm. wide, thick- 

 ish, closely striate-nerved, mostly smooth-edged, attenuate to the subterete apex, 1.5-2.5 

 mm. wide : scapes narrowly flrm-margined, with 1 or 2 nodes high up, each supporting a 

 short stiff bracteal leaf and a cluster of 3-5 slender, unequal peduncles 5-10 cm. long : 

 spathes narrow, 18-22 mm. long, t lie bracts subequal, stiffly attenuate, very acute : interior 

 scales crowded, sometimes exceeding tiie bracts : pedicels slightly exserted : perianth very 

 pale blue, 12 mm. long, or more : capsules light Ijrown, thin-walled, subglobose, 5-6 mm. 

 high, the valves developing lateral nerves. 



In sand. Manatee, Florida. Spring. 



30. Sisyrinchium corymbosum Bicknell. Plants 3-7.5 dm. tall, in scant tufts, pale 

 dull green and glaucescent, the roots coarse and woody. Leaves stiff' and thickish, 3-4 

 dm. long ; blades striate-nerved, 1.5-3 mm. wide, mostly smooth-edged : scapes 1.5-4 mm. 

 wide, firmly wing-margined, stiffly long-branched above into an erectly subcorymbose 

 several times compound inflorescence or the inflorescence scant and little ))ranched in weak 

 jilants : bracteal leaves often purjilish, the upper ones reduced : l)ranches and slender pe- 

 duncles 7-14 cm. long : spathes small, 12-15 mm. long, the subequal l)racts thin and mem- 

 branous, delicately close-nerved, acute or subulate : interioi scales much shorter than the 

 bracts: flowers numerous on exserted pedicels: perianth blue, 8-12 mm. long: capsules 



