Oedbr 143.— lEIDACEliE. 699 



r angled.— Pine barrens, MicL Ga. and S. Car. (Bachman). St. and Ivs. 3 to 6', 

 high. Fls. blue, the sepals in the middle yellow. Feb., Mar. 



8 I. laoustris Nutt. Noethbbn Lake Ieis. Lvs. ensiform, longer than the 

 low, compressed, l-flowered scapo ; seg. of the perianth nearly equal, obtuse, 

 emarginate, tlie sepals scarcely crested, as long as the slender tube ; caps, turbinate, 

 3-sided, margined. — Islands of Lake Huron, near Mackinaw, Nuttall. Roots ex- 

 tensively creeping. Leaves 2 — 5' by 3 — i", those of the scape bract-like. Scape 

 1 to 2' high. Fls. pale blue, tho sepals rather broader. Jn. 



9 I. vern^ta L. Vernal Ikis. Lvs. linear-ensiform, rigid, rather longer than the 

 low, 1-flowerod scans ; tube of tho perianth filiform (2' long), about equaling tho 

 length of the segm. ; sep. and petals nearly equal, oblong-obovate, obtuse, neither 

 crested nor bearded, stig. deeply bifid. — Hilly woods of tho interior S. States. St. 

 or scape 3 to 5' high, sheathed with colored bracts. Fls. pale blue, the sepals 

 with an oblong, or orange yellow, spotted stripe. Mar., Apr. 



10 X piimila L. Dwarp Ibis. Scape very short (3 to 6'), l-flo,\vcred; epatho 

 shorter than the tube ; sep. reflexed, narrower than the erect petals. — A small 

 species from Hungary, cultivated in tho edgings of walks. Lvs. numerous, 

 broad ensiform, suberect. Fls. largo, deep purple, appearing in early spring, f 



2. NEMASTYLIS, Nutt. (Gr. vfjixa, thread, arvXog, style.) Spathe 

 2-lcaved ; perianth segments distinct down to the top of the ovary, tho 

 sepals spreading, larger than the ascending, concave petals ; stamens 3, 

 filaments shorter than the anthers ; style slender, enlarged and 3-cleft 

 ;ibovc ; capsule oblong-oylindric— Stem very slender, with linear-ensi- 

 form lvs. from a bulb. Spathe 2-flowered. 



N. gemmiflora.Nutt. Swamps along rivers. La. (Hale.) A pretty flower 15 to 

 20' high, lvs. same length, 3 to 5" wide, tapering at each end. Fls. on pedicels 

 shorter than tho spathe, the sepals 1' long, obovate-spatulate, bluish-purple, tho 

 azure petals about half as large. 



3. TIGRID'IA, L. Tiger-floweb. (Lat. tigridis, of the tiger ; sc. 

 in colors.) Spathe 2-leaved ; perianth regular, the 3 sepals larger than 

 the 3 petals; stam. monadelphous, fil. united into a long tube. — BulbousJ 



T. pavdnia L. St. simple, flexuous ; lvs. ensiform, veined ; segm. fiat ; 

 petals panduriform. — A superb plant of tho gardens. St. 2f high, erect, terete, 

 leafy, branching. Lvs. erect, a foot long. Flowers inodorous, 5 to G' broad, yel- 

 low, variegated with scarlet, crimson and purple. It is very evanescent, lasts but 

 a few hours, but a new one appears daily for several weeks. | Mexico. 



4. SISYRinCHIUM, L. Blue-eyed Grass. (Gr. ov^, a hog, and 

 pvyxoc, a snout ; alluding to the singular spathe.) Spathe 2-loaved ; 

 segments of tho perianth flat, equal ; stamens monadelphous ; stigma 

 3-cleft. — 21 Grass-like plants, with compressed, winged or bicipital 

 scapes, from fibrous roots. 



1 S. Bermudianum L. Scape simple, winged ; valves of tho spathe unequal, 

 the longer scarcely equaling the flowers ; petals raucronato. — A delicate little plant, 

 with blue fioweis, common in low grass lands. Can. and U. S. St. or scape 10 to 

 12' high, so winged as to resemble the leaves, smooth and mostly simple. Lvs. 

 linear, about as long as the scape, sheathing at baso. Spathe 2 to 5-flowered, tho 

 longer valve acuminate. Fls. purple or blue, on filiform pedicels. Sepals a little 

 broader than the petals, spreading. Cap. globous. Jn., Jl. (S. anoops. Cav.) 



p. ALBA. Flowers white. — Wet prairies, &o. 



2 S. mucronStum Mx Scape simple, filiform, barely 2-edged ; spathe col- 

 ored, <mier vaUie longer iliff,n the fls., ending in a Umg, inucronate point. — Mid. States, 

 W. to Iowa, common in wet prairies, where the grass is not luxuriant. Lvs. rad- 

 ical, a line wide. Scapo 6 to 10' high, narrowly winged, setaceously slender. 

 Spathe 3 to 4-8owered, tinged with purple. Fls. smaller than in tho preceding, 

 of a fine blue color. Jn. — Appears veiy distinct from tho other. 



