234 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 1 26 



5. Floral axes glabrous; inflorescence compound nearly to its apex. 



I. 6. sanderiana 

 5. Floral axes minutely lepidote; inflorescence compound only near 

 its base. 

 6. Upper scape-bracts imbricate; sepals narrowly elliptic; petals 



yellow-green except for the blue apex 2. B. elegans 



6. Upper and lower scape-bracts shorter than the internodes ; sepals 



broadly elliptic; petals wholly blue 3. B. bradeana 



4. Ovaries several times as long as the upper floral bracts. 



7. Inflorescence subcorymbose with the lower branches elongate ; scape- 

 bracts large, densely imbricate 4. B. tweedieana 



7. Inflorescence longer than broad or the scape-bracts short and lax. 

 8. Ovaries, axes and sepals densely lepidote. 

 9. Sepals oblong, four times as long as wide 5. B. pohliana 



9. Sepals elliptic, twice as long as wide 6. B. laxiflora 



8. Ovaries and axes sparsely lepidote, sepals soon glabrous. 



10. Scape-bracts remote ; branches of the inflorescence elongate ; 



petal-blades dark blue 7. B. reichardtii 



10. Scape-bracts imbricate; branches of the inflorescence short; 



petals wholly green 8. B. chlorantha 



3. Inflorescence completely glabrous. 



II. Sepals with a soft setiform apex, oblong, 20-24 mm. long; petal- 

 blades dark violet ; flowers spreading ; axes pale when dry ; inflores- 

 cence usually pendulous. (Fig. 115.) 9. B. vittata 



II. Sepals acute to emarginate or obtuse and apiculate but not setiform 

 at the apex, narrowly elliptic, 20-30 mm. long; petal-blades dark 

 blue or green or the two combined ; flowers merely divergent ; axes 

 dark when dry ; inflorescence erect. 

 12. Petal-blades blue at the apex only or wholly green. (Fig. 116.) 



ID. B. amoena 



12. Petal-blades wholly blue 11. B. buchholtzii 



2. Inflorescence simple or pseudosimple with very short one-flowered branches 

 (distinguished by the apical floral bract). 

 13. The inflorescence completely glabrous. 

 14. Flowers sessile or on very short pedicels or branches. 

 15. Scape erect or ascending; inflorescence truly simple with sessile 

 flowers. 

 16. Sepals 20-30 mm. long; inflorescence lax with divergent flowers 

 in few rows. 

 17, Petal-blades blue at the apex only or wholly green. 



ID. B. amoena 



17. Petal-blades wholly blue 11. B. buchholtzii 



16. Sepals 13-15 mm. long; inflorescence dense with subspreading 



flowers in many rows 12. B. horrida 



15. Scape decurved; inflorescence often pseudosimple with short one- 

 flowered branches. 

 x8. Floral bracts all large, acuminate. (Fig. 117.) 



13. B. iridifolia 



18. Floral bracts much reduced toward the apex of the inflorescence. 



19. Petals blue at the apex or completely green; leaf -blades to 



50 mm. wide. (Fig. 118.) 14- B. distachia 



