302 IXIACEAE 



37. Sisyrinchium minus Engelm & Gray. Plants ascending, in loose tufts, deep 

 green, usually turning very dark when dry; blades thin, delicately nerved, 2-7 cm. long, 

 1-4 mm. wide, the edges roughened : scapes 0.5-2.5 dm. long, branched and leafy from 

 near the base, margined or narrowly winged, the nodes 2-6, the branches and peduncles 

 more or less diverging or outcurved : peduncles 4-6 cm. long, the ultimate ones a diverging 

 pair, or solitary : spathes flattened, the bracts very unequal, the larger outer one foliaceous, 

 1.3-3.5 cm. long : flowers on hair-like slightly exserted pedicels : perianth very small, 

 5-6 mm. long, reddish purple or yellowish white : capsules light brown, corrugated, ob- 

 long, 3-5 mm. high : seeds very small, 0.5-0.75 in diameter, strongly pitted. 



In damp soil or low prairies, central and eastern Texas to Louisiana. Spring. 



38. SiByrinchium colubriferum Bicknell. Plants suberect or spreading, in firm, 

 leafy tufts 2 dm. tall or more, dull green, turning brownish, mostly purplish at the nodes. 

 Leaf-blades broad and thin, 5-7 mm. wide, the edges mostly smooth : scapes numerous, 

 branched from near the often outcurved base, the internodes and often compound branches 

 more or less stiffly sinuous, broadly thin-winged, 2-5 mm. wide, the edges denticulate-ser- 

 rulate : peduncles in clusters of 3-4, mostly curved, 5-10 cm. long : bracts of the spathe 

 thin, closely many-nerved, acuminate, the outer one a little the longer : flowers on some- 

 what exserted pedicels : perianth light violet-blue, about 10 mm. long : staminal column 

 short, 4 mm. high : capsules on somewhat spreading pedicels, 4 mm. high or more ; the 

 valves distinctly 3-nerved. 



In sandy soil, eastern Texas. Spring. 



39. Sisyrinchium rosulatum Bicknell. Plants ascending or prostrate in small rosu- 

 late tufts or larger plants becoming 2 dm. high, pale green, not drying dark : leaves 2-8 

 cm. long ; blades 1-2 mm. wide, the margins serrulate : scapes often branched from near 

 the base and geniculate, the nodes 2 or more, each supporting mostly two peduncles : 

 peduncles mostly long and slender, 2-10 cm. long, often more broadly margined than the 

 scape : spathes relatively large, about 2 cm. long, the bracts foliaceous, equal or unequal : 

 perianth reddish purple, rather small : capsules broadly globose, on capillary flexuously 

 spreading pedicels, pale but purplish tinged, 2.5-3.5 mm. high the valves without lateral 

 nerves : seeds numerous, very small, 0.5-0.75 mm. in diameter, finely alveolate. 



In sandy soil, Mobile, Alabama and Charleston, South Carolina. Spring. 



40. Sisyrinchium Helleri Bicknell. Plants 0.8-2 dm. tall, spreading or suberect 

 in stiff, loosely many-stemmed tufts, glaucescent, turning dark. Leaves about the 

 length of the scapes ; blades 1-2 mm. wide, thin, mostly smooth-edged : scapes 1-1.5 mm. 

 wide, mostly geniculate at the 1 or 2 nodes, narrowly firm -margined, the edges smooth or 

 denticulate : peduncles 2-4, more or less unequal and diverging, 3-9 cm. long, sometimes 

 twice the length of the scapes, longer than the bracteal leaves : spathes 1.5-1. 8 cm. long, 

 the bracts closely fine-striate, acuminate, the inner one usually the longer : flowers on erect 

 pedicels equalling or much surpassing the bracts : perianth deep blue, 10 mm. long or 

 more : capsules on spreading or recurved pedicels, dark, subglobose or obovoid, 4-7 mm. 

 high, the valves not 3-nerved : seeds rather large, 2-5 in each cavity. 



On the coast, southeastern Texas. Spring. 



41. Sisyrinchium implic^tum Bicknell. Plants densely tufted, the numerous slen- 

 der scapes mostly curved or ascending in a loose entanglement, pale dull green and glau- 

 cescent. Leaf -blades 0.5-1 mm. wide, few-nerved : scapes 15-20 cm. long, longer than 

 the leaves, less than 1 mm. wide, firm but frail, narrowly margined, the edges smooth or 

 denticulate, geniculate above at the single node which supports a pair of short capillary 

 peduncles 2-4 cm. long, subequal with their slender bracteal leaf : spathes very small, 1.0- 

 1.5 cm. long, the subequal bracts close-nerved, slenderly acute or the inner one scarious- 

 obtuse and apiculate : flowers small on hair-like slightly exserted pedicels : perianth deli- 

 cate, pale blue, about 8 mm. long : staminal column 4-5 mm. high. 



In wet bottoms, Calhoun County, Mississippi. Spring. 



42. Sisyrinchium fldccidum Bicknell. Plants forming many-scaped finally diffuse or 

 spreading tufts, 1-2 dm. high, rather deep green, turning dark when dry. Leaves fre- 

 quently as long as the scapes ; blades thin and lax, delicately nerved, 1-3 mm. wide, the 

 edges smooth : bracteal leaves elongated : scapes weak, 0.5-1.5 mm. wide, two-edged or 

 narrowly thin-winged, the edges mostly smooth : nodes mostly 2 : peduncles very straight 

 and slender, 4-9 cm. long : spathes narrow, the thin bracts delicately many-nerved, nar- 

 rowly acuminate or acute, 13-20 mm. long, the outer one often the longer : perianth deep 

 purple-blue, 8-10 mm. long : ovary glabrous. 



On prairies, eastern Texas. Spring. 



43. Sisyrinchium pruinosum Bicknell. Plants glaucescent, not darkening when 

 dry, 1.5-2.5 dm. high, the sides of the scapes, leaf -blades and bracts closely roughened all 



