2 
Spring Flora of Oklahoma 
leaflets; spadix tapering to a long, slender point, often bearing fully 
developed staminate and pistillate flowers. 
In moist, rich woods and along streams. Frequent in eastern 
half of state. 
FAMILY 2. COMMELINACE^E. Spiderwort Family. 
Herbs, with fibrous or sometimes thickened roots, 
jointed and often branching, leafy stems. Leaves simple, 
succulent, narrow, entire, sheathing at the base, sheaths 
entire or split. Flowers in terminal cymes or umbels, 
perfect, often irregular. Sepals 3, persistent, herbace¬ 
ous or colored. Petals 3, soon falling or liquefying; 
stamens usually 6, often some of them imperfectly devel¬ 
oped. Ovary 2-3-celled; style single, stigma entire or 
3-lobed, fruit a 2-3-celled, 2-3-valved capsule, seeds soli¬ 
tary or several in each cell. 
Cymes subtended by small or minute bracts very un¬ 
like the leaves. I. Cuthbertia. 
Cymes subtended by an involucre of 1-3 bracts similar 
to the leaves. II. Tradescantia. 
I. CUTHBERTIA Small. 
Perennial herbs, with mostly tufted stems. Leaves al¬ 
ternate, blades very rfarrow and elongated. Cymes um¬ 
bel-like, solitary at the ends of long peduncles, and sub¬ 
tended by very small bracts unlike the leaves. Sepals 3. 
Petals 3, reddish, pink or rose-purple, distinct. Stamens 
6; filaments pubescent. 
1. Cuthbertia graminea Small. Gr^3S-like Spiderwort. Stems 
erect, 2'-8' tall, densely tufted, sometimes 100 or more together, 
commonly simple, slightly zigzag. Leaves numerous; blades nar¬ 
rowly linear or linear-filiform, 4'-6' 'long, acute, mostly erect; 
sheaths ciliate; cymes 3-15-flowered, simple; corollas pink or rose- 
colored. 5"-10" broad. 
Sandy soil. Oklahoma and Cleveland counties. April-August. 
