382 BICKNELL: STUDIES IN SISYRINCHIUM 
erect, becoming rather strongly. nerved, 1-3 mm. wide, tapering- 
acute, the edges smooth;. stems .75-1.50 mm. wide, ‘narrowly 
wing-margined, finely cartilaginous- -denticulate to smooth ;. spathes 
narrow, the bracts rather prominently but not very closely fine- 
nerved, the hyaline edges narrow; outer bract 1.5-4 cm. long, 
narrowly attenuate, abruptly pointed or often obtuse, usually sur- 
passing the inner one 2-10 mm., but sometimes longer, rather 
closely united-clasping for 5-7 mm. and with sharply keeled 
edges ; inner bract usually abruptly scarious-obtuse and bluntly 
apiculate; inner scales little more than half the length of the 
bracts; pedicels erect, slightly. exserted, often reddish-purple ; 
flowers violet-purple; perianth 8-1o mm. long, the segments 
mucronulate-aristulate, slightly if at all emarginate ; stamineal 
column 5 mm. long or less; anthers small, about 1 mm. long; 
ovary oblong, puberulent; capsule sparsely puberulent, brown, 
thin-walled, globose or obovoid, 2.5—5 mm. high, many: seeded. 
Mariposa County: Yosemite Valley, May-June, 1900, /. 7. 
Bioletti, Herb. Cal. Acad. Sci. (type) ; Yosemite Valley and Moun- 
tains, 7. Torrey, 1865, Herb. Columbia Univ.; Sierra Nevada 
Mountains, 8,000 ft., south fork of San Joaquin River, July, 1900, 
Hi. M. Hall & H. P. Chandler, no. 652. 
Placer County: Downer Lake, July 25, 1895, Edward L. 
Greene, Herb. E. L. G. 
Modoc County: 1894, Ma S. Baker and Frank Nutting, 
Hers. EL. G 
Appearing nearer to S. angustifolium than any species seen 
from west of the Rocky Mountain region, and variously sugges- 
tive, as well, of some of the simple-stemmed western species, but 
showing material differences from each one. It is a smaller plant 
than S. angustifolium with less unequal and more obtuse bracts 
of somewhat different nervation, smaller flowers with small anthers 
and more glandular-puberulent ovary, the capsules also more or 
less sparsely puberulent. 
In the relative length of the bracts this species nearly agrees 
with S. occidentale, but it differs notably in much smaller flowers, 
less acute and differently shaped bracts, especially the narrower 
inner one, weaker and less narrowly margined, mostly rough- 
edged stems and more slender roots. 
S. segetum is also much larger flowered, as well as taller and 
more slender, more densely tufted, narrower leaved and with slen- 
derly very acute bracts. 
