IXIACEAE 299 



19. Sisyrinchium Floridanum Bicknell. Plants tufted, 2.5-5 dm. tall, densely fibril- 

 lose at the base, dull green and glaucescent. Leaves numerous, often equalling the* scapes, 

 becoming flexuous, thickish ; blades usually 2-3 mm. wide, attenuate to the slender nearly 

 terete apex, smooth-edged : scapes narrowly firm margined, 2-3 mm. wide, smooth-edged : 

 bracteal leaf shorter than the 2 or 3 usually erect very slender peduncles one of which is 

 sometimes topped by 3 shorter peduncles : spathes green or slightly purplish, 15-20 mm. 

 long, the bracts nearly equal, mostly attenuate and acute : interior scales about equalling 

 the bracts or slightly exserted : flowers on slender exserted pedicels : perianth pale blue, 

 about 10 mm. long : capsules pale, subglobose, 3-4 mm. high. 



In sand, peninsular Florida. Late winter and early spring. 



20. Sisyrinchium Nashii Bicknell. Resembling S. Floridanum, but much more 

 slender and delicate, and smaller throughout, flowering in midsummer instead of late 

 winter and early spring. Leaves few ; blades 0.5-2 mm. wide, less closely and strongly 

 striate than in the next preceding species, and frequently denticulate, especially toward the 

 scarcely terete apex : scapes few, about twice as tall as the leaves, mostly 1 mm. wide or 

 less, like the leaves sometimes obscurely roughened with minute papillae, the very narrow 

 margins usually minutely denticulate : bracteal leaf almost setaceously slender, much 

 shorter than the almost filiform peduncles : spathes narrow, 13-15 mm. long, the bracts 

 mostly thinner and less sharply pointed than in S. Floridanum, the inner one frequently 

 surpassing the outer and scarious obtuse at the apex : perianth smaller than that of S. 

 Floridanum: capsules 2-3 mm. in diameter, on slenderly exserted pedicels 17-22 mm. long : 

 seeds finely rugulose-pitted. 



In dry sandy soil, low pine land, peninsular Florida. Summer. 



21. Sisyrinchium solstitiale Bicknell. Plants thinly tufted, chaffy and slightly 

 fibrillose at the base, 2-4.6 dm. tall or taller, pale green or glaucescent, becoming brownish 

 green when dry. Leaves erect; blades very straight, becoming 4 mm. wide, narrowed to 

 the stiff acicular apex, striate-nerved and minutely rugulose, minutely serrulate, becoming 

 smooth : scapes about twice as tall as the leaves, once or twice spirally twisted, becoming 

 3 mm. wide, the firm wings hyaline-margined and obscurely serrulate, becoming smooth : 

 inflorescence elongated, with 3 rather remote nodes each with a foliaceous bract and 2 

 peduncles or the lower one with a slender branch : spathes dull green, 20-25 mm. long, 

 the bracts stiff, nearly equal, the outer one narrowly acuminate : interior scales finally 

 equalling the bracts : perianth blue, about 12 mm. long : flowers on slightly exserted pedicels. 



In high pine lands, peninsular Florida. Summer. 



22. Sisyrinchium recurvatum Bicknell. Plants dull green, turning brownish when 

 dry, 1.5-2.5 dm. high. Leaves about f the height of the tufts ; blades 1.5-2.5 mm. wide, 

 erect but rather thin, not closely nerved, the edges smooth or nearly so : scapes wing- 

 margined, sometimes obscurely serrulate, the single node supporting a short erect bracteal 

 leaf and 2-3 peduncles 5-11 cm. long : spathes 17-20 mm. long, the inner bract mostly 

 longer than the very acute outer one and apiculate from a scarious-obtuse apex : interior 

 scales equalling the bracts or nearly so : flowers blue-purple, about 10 mm. long : capsules 

 on much exserted and recurved pedicels, subglobose or obovoid, dark brown, 2.5-4 mm. 

 high : seeds 1 mm. in diameter or less, close-pitted. 



In sand, Longboat Key, Florida. Early spring. 



23. Sisyrinchium graminoides Bicknell. Plants often not tufted, 1.5-6 dm. high, 

 rather bright green, turning dark when dry. Leaves thin and grass-like, f the height 

 of the scape ; blades 1.5-6 mm. wide, the edges like those of the scape minutely serrulate : 

 scapes thin, wing-flattened, as broad as the leaf-blades, mostly forking into two peduncles 

 5-20 cm. long, subtended by a conspicuous bracteal leaf : spathes green, flat, the subequal or 

 unequal bracts acute or acuminate, 15-20 mm. long, the interior scales much shorter : peri- 

 anth blue, 10 mm. long : capsules thin-walled, subglobose, 3-6 mm. high, on slender spread- 

 ing pedicels : seeds numerous, about 1 mm. in diameter, globose, pitted. 



In grassy places and low meadows, Newfoundland to Minnesota. Florida and Texas. Spring and 

 summer. 



24. Sisyrinchium membranaceum Bicknell. Plants loosely erect or assurgent, in 

 thin tufts, 20-25 cm. high, scarcely glaucescent, drying brownish green. Leaves half the 

 height of the stem or more ; blades 1.5-3.5 mm. wide, thin and membranous, promi- 

 nently few-nerved, mostly serrulate-roughened, cuspidate-acute : scapes similar to the leaves, 

 broadly thin-winged, mostly with 1 node bearing a short bracteal leaf 2-6 cm. long and 

 two slender peduncles 4-10 cm. long : bracts of the spathe subequal, cuspidate-acute, thin 

 and delicately veined, mostly about 1.5 cm. long : interior scales often equalling the bracts : 

 perianth violet-blue : sepals and petals rather firm and membranous, 10-12 mm. long : 

 capsules dark, subglobose, 3.5 mm. high, on slenderly exserted pedicels : seeds only 2-3 in 

 each cavity. 



In sand, Jackson County, Florida. Spring. 



