NEW SPECIES OF CALIFORNIAN PLANTS. 427 



Brodisea Purdyi n. sp. Plate Iviii. 



Scapes 1 -several, 10—15 cm * above ground, from a 

 corm heavily fibrous-coated, generally with 1 or 2 large 

 offsets; leaves thick, 3 mm. wide, deeply grooved on 

 the inner side, equalling the scapes; bracts of the umbel 

 conspicuous, scarious, triangular-acuminate, with a red 

 midvein; pedicels spreading gracefully; perianth with 

 throat constricted above the ovary, tube 7 mm. long, seg- 

 ments linear-oblong, spreading widely and recurved, blue, 

 with a darker midvein, outer a little shorter and narrower 

 than the inner which are about 2 cm. long and 4 mm. 

 wide; staminodia erect, white, strongly involute, 13 mm. 

 long, 3 mm. wide; apex dentate or emarginate; stamens 

 two-thirds as long as staminodia, deeply emarginate, 

 connivent with the staminodia on the constricted throat 

 of the perianth; ovary obconic, attenuate to a short 

 stipe. 



This comes under Hookera, according to Professor 

 Greene (Bull. Cal. Acad. Sci., v. 126). It differs from 

 other members of the group in the constricted throat of 

 the perianth and the segments so much longer than the 

 tube. It is the most beautiful and graceful of the group. 

 The white petaloid staminodia have the appearance of a 

 corolla within the perianth. The anthers are extrorse and 

 closely surround the pistil. 



This species was communicated by Mr. Carl Purdy, 

 who collected it in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada 

 Mountains, from Colfax to the hills back of Chico. 



It seems appropriate to name this in honor of Mr. 

 Purdy, who is so well known in connection with Califor- 

 nian Liliacege. 



The type is in the Herbarium of the California Acad- 

 emy of Sciences. 



