Polygonella texana sp. nov. 
Poljl^onella texana sp. nov. Root annual; plant glaucescent; stem simple 
at base, sparingly branched above, copiously branched in the inflorescence, moatiy 
3 mm. or less in diameter at the base, and up to 45 cm, tall, reddish, rough with 
remains of persistent ocreae; branches slender, usually rebranched, the branchlets 
leafy, copiously below and sparingly in inflorescence, and terminating in a paniculate 
inflorescence; leaves numerous, frequently in clusters on short branches subtended by 
a leaf simulating an undeveloped inflorescence branch, 12 mm, long or less (mostly less 
than 10 mm, long), 3 mm, sride of less, gradually narrowed to 1 mm, at junction with 
ocrea, cuneate-spatulate to cuneate-obovate, smooth, fleshy, rather persistent; ocreae 
green, becoming brovrn in age, cylindric, strongly oblique, pointed at the back and 1 
mm, longer than at the front, where it is 3 mm, high, prinninently pale-ribbed, and with 
a narrow scarious apical margin, and neither ciliate nor fringed; flowers borne in 
spike-like racemes; pedicels slender, in fruit exserted up to ,5 mm,; ocreolae imbricated 
on rachis of inflorescence, distally pale, less than 1 mm, long, oblique with an acute point 
on side of exsertion of pedicel; calyx 5-parted, in anthesis white, the inner sepals 
broader but similar in length to the outer sepals, oblong, less than 2 mm, long, and in 
fruit the sepals are pink to red, the outer sepals reducing in size and becoming spreading 
to reliexed, the inner at first appressed to the faces of the achene with the styles only 
exposed, then gradually spreading until the achene beccsnes at least partly exposed; stipe¬ 
like base of hypanthium 1 mm, long or slightly more; achene light-brown, 1,5 mm, long or 
slightly longer, and mostly slightly less than 1 mm, broad. 
This species is related to Polygonella gracilis (Nutt.) Meisn,, but differs 
therefrom among other respects in its lower growth, in its leaves which are shorter 
and 5-7-nerved instead of 3-nerved, in its ocreae being prominently oblique, in its 
mostly shorter racemes, in its shorter calyx, and in its shorter achene which is not 
long-atteunate. Type specimen. No, 20817, was collected October 18, 1936, by Mr, H, B, 
I’arks, near Old Ingleside on the eastern side of Nueces Bay, in San Patricio County, 
Texas, 
