330 The Ohio Naturalist. [Vol. XIV, No. 7, 



Crocus L. 



Perennial tufted herbs, with narrow leaves arising directly 

 from the corm; leaves with revolute margins; flowers solitary, 

 perianth united in a long tube. 



1. Crocus vernus All. Crocus. Leaves 2 to 4, equalHng 

 the flower, glaucous beneath; perianth segments 1 to 1^ inches 

 long, lilac or white, often striped with purple, throat pubescent, 

 not yellow. Escaped in Lake county. 



Sisyrinchium L. 



Perennial slender tufted herbs, with short rootstocks; stems 

 simple or branched, two winged; leaves grass-like; flowers small, 

 terminal umbellate, usually blue in color; capsule globose. 



Key. 



1. Stems simple with sessile terminal spathc; flowers with perianth 3^ 

 inch long; pedicles erect and shorter than the inner bracts; capsules pale. 



5. angustifolium. 



1. Stems slender and ascending, mostly branched, broadly winged; 



flowers perianth less than H inch long on recurved pedicles. Capsules dark. 



5. graminoides. 



1. Sisyrinchium angustifolium Mill. Pointed Blue-eyed- 

 grass. Stem stiff, erect, pale and glaucous, winged, edges minute- 

 ly serrulate, 4 inches to 2 feet high; leaves 4 to 9 inches long, 1-16 

 to yi inch broad, serrulate; spathes green or slightly purplish; 

 flowers deep violet, blue, }4 inch long. General. 



2. Sisyrinchium graminoides Bickn. Stout Blue-eyed-grass. 

 Light green, somewhat glaucous; stems broadly winged, stout, 

 erect or reclined, S to 18 inches tall; leaves 4 to 11 inches long and 

 1-12 to ^ inch broad; umbels 2 to 4 flowered, pedicels thread-like; 

 flowers >2 to ^ inch broad, ^ to 1 inch long, petals sparsely 

 pubescent on the outer surafce. General. 



DioscoREACEAE. Yam Family. 



Slender twining vines slightly woody, with fleshy rootstocks; 

 leaves petioled and netted-veined. Flowers diecious, epigynous 

 and trimerous; ovulary trilocular. 



Dioscorea Plum.) L. 



Slender twining vines with heart shaped or halbard-shaped 

 leaves. Flowers inconspicuous and borne on pendulous spikes, 

 panicles or racemes. 



1. Leaves heart-shaped, abruptly acute or acuminate; without bulblets. 



D. villosa. 

 1. Leaves usually cuspidate and often halbard-shai)cd; with bulblets 

 in the axils of the leaves. D. bulbifera. 



