16 Addisonia 



The spiderwort is a perennial with thick roots and clustered 

 stout or stoutish erect, nearly straight, usually simple stems mostly 

 one to two feet tall. The leaves are alternate. The blades are 

 linear or linear-lanceolate, less than six inches long, or up to a foot 

 and a half long, acuminate, more or less curved, nearly flat or 

 involutely folded near the base. The sheaths are about one inch 

 long or less, sometimes slightly ciliate. The two floral bracts are 

 lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, often nearly equal, usually much 

 smaller than the leaves. The flowers are clustered on hairy pedicels 

 one to two inches long. The sepals are elliptic, ovate, or ovate- 

 lanceolate, usually about a half inch long, obtuse or acutish, boat- 

 shaped, villous with long non-glandular hairs, about twice as long 

 as broad, becoming membranous. The petals are purplish-blue or 

 rarely white, three quarters of an inch long, suborbicular, or slightly 

 narrowed above the middle. The stamens are conspicuous on 

 account of the purple-bearded filaments and the bright yellow 

 anthers. The glabrous capsules are about a quarter of an inch 

 long. The seeds are oblong. 



John K. Small. 



Explanation of Plate. Fig. i. — Summit of stem, with inflorescence. 

 Fig. 2. — Flower, with petals and stamens removed. Fig. 3. — Petal. Fig. 4. — 

 Stamen, X 2. 



