Torrey Botanical Society

Studies in Sisyrinchium-X. The species of California

Author(s): Eugene P. Bicknell
Source: Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, Vol. 31, No. 7 (Jul., 1904), pp. 379-391
Published by: Torrey Botanical Society
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2478659
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o-fCalifornia
- X Thespecies
Studiesin Sisyrinchium
EUGE;NE

P.

BICKNELL

The blue-eyedgrasses of California,as shownby the collections

which have passed under review in a study of the group, are common in many parts of the state anid in nearly all parts are represented by onle or more species, forminiga noteworthy if not everywhere conspicuous element in the flora.
The widely diversified topogoraphical features and sharply
contrasted climatic conditions embraced within the great area
of the state miglhtwell lead us to expect some strikinigreflection
in so responsive a genus as Sisyrz1nc/zuu;/zoccurring throughout,
more especially since so many other sections of the Ulnited States
have been foulndto possess a more or less characteristicgloUp of
species, and yet it has long been commonly supposed that scar-cely
more than a single species belonged to the California flora. In fact
, in I877, separated the most conspicuous Calisince Dr. WVatson
fornia species from its eastern relatives under the name of SisyiZ'this name has been in common use for almost all
C7iiumblwi7um
the bounidaries of the state.*
specimens collected Nwithin
YVithiinthese boundaries, however, is an interesting group of
species few of which appear to extetnd far beyond them. How
many species make up this group canniot as yet be determined.
Six or seven come out clearly enough from the mass of specimenis
which have been available for study, and others might be proposed
on evidence perhaps sufficientyet not altogether convincing. For
the present seven species are recog,nized. Of these SiSy/!ilzchiumz
bellu/n,the most conspicuous, appears also to be the most abundant. It proves, however, to be not at all of general distribution
* The yellow-floweredspecies formerlyincluded in Sis'srinczhiuom
are here excluded
from consideration, having already been separately treated under the revised genus
- YVIII. Bull. Torrey Club, 28:
570-592.
HydaslyIus. (Studies in Siyi-inc/ziumn
1901.)

The even rnoredistinctgenus Olsyniuimof Rafinesque takes over anlotherplant long

the Sisy;incizniNumomndi)Ro;m Douglas, as already pointed
accepted as a Sisyr-inJhi'um,
out. (Studies in Sisj;inc/zium - VII. Bull. Torrey Clu,b 27 : 237. I900.)

379

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380

BICKNELL: STUDIES IN SISYRINCHIUM

throughoutthe state, being restricted,or very nearly so, to the

coastwisecounties,throughwhich it ranges fromSan Diego, and
doubtless Lower California,northwardinto Mendocino County,
frombeyond which no specimenshave been forthcoming. This
species bears the distinctionof having flowersof larger maximum
size thananyotherspecies of the UnitedStates, althoughsurpassed
J1acozuzni
in both the size and beautyof its flowersby Sisyi;zc/hizumz
of Vancouver Island.
fromabout the middle
In the Sierra Nevada region,nlorthward
bellumiis reSisyri;ic/ziim
Oregon,
and
into
beyond
of the state,
placed by a slighter and smaller-floweredplant, SisyruzC/lizl5m
ofthat
Greeneisp. nov.,whichappearsto be generallyrepresentative
region,while in the valleysand mountainsof the southernpart of
the state away fromthe coast another species, Sisj'i1zc/i'uin Eastzooodiaesp. nov., appears to be equally representative. A further,
somewhatobscure species fromthesouthwesternranges nearer the
iesperimisp. nov, FouLrspecies
coast is admittedas Sisy1i'bic/ium
the
extretne
eastern
parts of the state, one very disfiom
appear
futzereuiiz
sp. nov.,
tinctand apparentlylocal species,Sisj'riizc/iziif
Greene, Szsy'
luzlop/iiiiluz
in the southeast,and three,Sisyrlbszc/iiiz
in or-cop/iilizzl
Bicknell and Sisyrinc/iu
sp. nov.,
riizc/lizn,leptocaulonz
the
in
Sierra
Nevada
region.
mostly
all simple-stemmedplants,
I899.
SISYRINCHIUM HALOPHILUM Greene, Pitt.4: 34.
alt.
ft.,M1ay iS5,
Owen's
5,ooo
Valley,
County,
Inyo
Bis/zop;
i897, M. E. Jolnes,Herb. iAlissouriBot. Gard. (not U. S. Nat.
Herb., as citedin errorBull. Torrey Club, 26: 45 I . I 899); Sierra
U. S. Nat. Herb.
Nevada Mts., iS75, 7. G. Lemmzzonz,
These specimensare stouterand broader-leaved,with thicker
roots and perhaps larger flowersthan the type,but are without
perfectflowersand fruitand can be referredto no otherspecies at
presentdescribed.
may be extendedto Idaho, WyomThe rangeof S. karlo/pilumz
From
states come a series of small,
these
and
Colorado.
ing
slender plants which,while contrastingmarkedlywith the specimens fromCaliforniacited above are brought closer to them by
charactersfounidin the Nevada type. The
somewhatintermediate
fromthe latterare moreslender,less clustered
principaldifferences
roots,slenderlyprolonged outer bract and apparentlylarger and
darker-colored,thinner-walledcapsules.

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BICKNELL:

STUDIES

IN SISYRINCHIUM

381

There seems, indeed,good reason to suspect the existenceof

a group of closely relatedsimple-stemmedspecies inhabitingnearly
the same general region,which on presentmaterialit is impossible
and S. /eptoczilo;z.
to disentangleeffectuallyfromS. ka/op/ui/um
Bicknell,Bull. TorreyClub, 26: 45I.
I 899.
Sierra Nevada Mts., near Lake Tahoe, J. &dll, July 20, 1884,
Herb. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila.
TuolumnieCo. : Soda Springs,Herb. Cal. Acad. Sci.
Lassen Co.: Milford,June 26, 1892, T. S. Brandegee,Herb.
Cal. Acad. Sci.
The originaldescriptionof S. leptocauzlolzwas drawn fromthe
specimen firstabove cited tog,etherwithothermaterial fromNevada and Utah less evidentlydistinctfiom S. /auop/ilui/. Of the
additionalspecimenshere recorded,that fromSoda Springs,while
clearlyrelated to the Lake Tahoe type,shows a greatersize for
than has
the species and a wider divergencefi-omS. /halop/i/zimw
hithertoappeared. The stiff,
narrowlymargined stemsare 45-70
cm. tall and about I.5 mm. wide; the broadest leaves, nearly 2.5
mm. wide, are stronglyratherfew-nervedand more or less whiteglaucous ; the bractsare finelyclose-striate,the outer one stiffly
scarcely surpassinigthe inner,and 2-2.5 cm. long;
short-pointed,
inner scales crowded, sometimes exceeding the shorter bract;
pedicels close-fascicled,somewhat exserted; capsules pale, thickwalled, finelyrugulose, 2.5-5 mm. high; seeds 2-3 in a row; a
matureseed is nearly 2 mm. in diameter,irregularlycompressedrugulose.
subglobose and veryminiutely
ofeitherthisspeIt is impossibleto derivea clear understanding
so farcollected, While
cies or S. k/aop/il/iur
fromthescantmiiaterial
extremeexamples of each appear obviouslydistinct,theirrelationship is confusedby certainspecimenswhichcannotbe satisfactorily
assigned at the presenttime. As alreadyintimatedthereis good
reason to believethat morethan two species enterintotheproblem.

SISYRINCHIIUMLEPTOCAULON

Sisyrinchium oreophilum sp. nov.

Stems simple, or occasionally developing a single terminal
peduncle withsubtendingleaf, IO-25 cm. high fromslenderfibrillose roots; pale glaucescent green, showing some discoloration
when dry. Leaves about half the height of the stems, firmly

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3>82

BICKNELL:

STUDIES

IN SiSVRINCHIUM

erect, becominga,rather-stroing-lynierved, 1-3 mm. wide, taperillgactite, the edges smootlh; stemis .75-1.50 Inm. wide, narrowly
finelycartilag-inous-dcnticUlateto smoothi; spathies
winlgT-Miargilned,
narrowv,the bracts rathel- prominenitlybtit niot very closely fiine
cm. long,
neived, thlc lhyalinieedg,es narrow ; otiter bract I.narroWlxVatten1Uate, abrtiptly poinited or ofteniobtLuse,usually surpASS1in11theC illnler onIe 2-10 mm., bLhtsomctimes longer, Irathier
closely
unlitetd-claspinlg for 5-7 mim. andcl with sharply keeled
cdo-es; inntier-bract usually abruptly scar-ious-olDtuse alncl bIluILtly
apicU late; innielr scales little molre tlhanilhalf the lencgthiof the
br-acts; peclicels elrect, slighlitlyexser-tecl, ofteni r ceddish-purple
floweis violet-purple; per-ianitlh
S-Io0 mmll. long, tlle segmenits
if at all emaroyinate; staminleal
slig-lhtlyN
mucLIC
on-Ltlate-ar-istulalte,
anitlheris small, aboLut I mm11. longo5 mm. longo- or less
ovaryl oblonlgf, puberuilenit; capsule sparsely pLubelrulenit,
brown,

columnl1

thin-walled, globose or obovoid, 2.5-5 mimi.hig-lh,many seeccld.

Mariposa, County : Yosemiite 'Valley, Mayo-Jue, I900, I T.
Blo/ti, Herb.
Cal. Acad. Sci. (type) YosenmiteValley andclMA\lounitainls,

7. _Torcj',

I 865,

Herb.

Columbia

Unliv.;

Sier-ra

Nevacla

Mlountains,8,ooo ft., soutIl fork of Sani JoaqcuillRiver, jutl7, 1900,

ii. Jt .lAd!/

11. J.

/l;al/dh'r, iw. (6;e.

Donrvtcr Lalke, July 25, i895, L_'d

Placer County:
Give,uc Herb.
I,. L. G.
Modoc COUnItY 1894, 11/ S. Bwkr7lliam/1 Fv/ ik
Herb. E. L. G.
Appearing

niearel to .S. anows/itfoliuz

tlhani aniy species

f.
//i/o

seenl

fromii
wvestof the Rocky Mounitaini regionl,andcl variously sLug-g-estive, as well, of some of the simple stemmecl western species, but
showing mlaterialdifferenicesfiom each onie. It is a smaller plant
tlhaniS. (iigus/l/foliuimwith less unequal anid more obtuse bracts
smaller flowers with small anitlhers
of somewhat clifferentniervationi,
anid moie glandular-puberulent ovary, the capssules also mole or
less spar-selyptubelrulent.
In the relative lenlgthof the bracts this species nearly agrees
witlh.S. occidejital, but it differsnotably in muclh smaller flowers,
less acute andcldifferentlyslDaped bracts, especially the narrower
inniierone, weaker anid less narrowly marg,inecl, mostly r-ougledged stems anld more slenicler r0oots.

S. scgto/imi is also muclh larg,erflowvered,as well as taller-anid

slenmor-eslenlder,more clensely tufted, niairower leaved aiicl Nwitlh
clerly very acute bracts.

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BICKNELL:

STUDIES 1N SISYRINCHIUM

03

and S. leptocazlon both differ essentially fromn

S. /walopkf/zi/u
S. orcop/zi/zinby their thicker roots and smaller, thicker-walled,
pale capsules.
The only other-simple-stemmed species of any of the Pacific
states, S. iazoWeonseand S. sarZZ'clztosuz, n1eed no compar-isoniwith.
the former-being a much larger planit in ever-yway,,
S. oreop/zilum,
and the latter diffeling conspicuously by its narrowly prolonged~
foliaceous bracts, besides narrower and weaker leaves alnd stems,
and smaller flowers.
Sisyrinchium Greenei sp. nov.
Mostly 2 5-45 cm. high, from fibrous,sometimes slightly thickened roots, pale or glaucescent greein,often darkening or becominig brownish in drying. Leaves commonly about half the height
of the plant and I-3 mm. wide, sometimes r-atlherthin and soft oil
becoming firm,varyinlgfrom linear-attenuate and straight to acum-inate and somewhat curved, narrowly acute, the delicate nerves ap^proximate, ol becoming wvellseparated on the broade- leaves, the
edges smooth; stems commonly terminlatedby one or two, ol evenl
three, slender but mostly sholt peduncles subtended by a usually
shorter erect bractal leaf, sometimes bearing a leaf and axillary
peduncle lower down, casually simple with terminal spathe, I-3 mm.
or wvinged,the edges smooth or obwide, narrowly thin-nmar-gined
scurely denticulate nlearthe node peduncles 3-IO cm. long, oftenZ
extremely slelnder, slightly diverginigand mostly a little unequial
spathes often purplislh, usually narrow, I 5-20 mm. loing, the bracts
rather firmlyfine-nerved,equal, or either one slightly the longer,
the outer one mostly acute, sometimes slightly foliaceous and becoming 2.5 cmn.long, united-clasping belowvfor .o5-.o7 mm., tlhe
ininerone often scar-ious, obtuse; innler-scales mostly about threefourthsthe length ofthe bracts; flowers on slender, slightly exsertecd
pedicels, delicate, pale violet-blue, about IO mm. long, the segments short-aristulate ; statnineal column 5-6 mm. long; oval-y
glandular-pubei-ulent ; capsule subglobose or obovoid, brown,
firm-walled, 3-7 mm. high seeds numerous, apparently mediumsized.
fromabout midway in the state nortlSierra Nevada AlMountains
ward, extending into Oregon, ascending to at least 6,ooo feet.
Flowering mostly in June and July, although beginning to bloom
in Mlay, or even eal-lier,at lowveraltitudes. Named in hoilor of
Professor Edwar-d L. Greene.
Siskiyou County: North side of Mount Shasta, 5-9000 feet,
Julne i -I 6, i 89, H. E. orlOZ1n,
n10.3/I (type).

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384

BICKNELL:

STUDI ES IN SISYRLINCHIUXI

Modoc Coulnty:Junle 14, I893, -Ai.S. Bakerf.

Meadowv,5,500 ft.,
MoLluntaiin
Plumas County : Neai Pr-atville,
897, Ml. E. Jonles; July, 1896, I897, 189g, AIfs. R. -A.
Austin.
Butte County: Little Chico Creek, M1ay,i896, Colby, July,
1896, 17i-s.R. .1f.Azustiin.
Placer County : Appleg,ate,M/lay,
iS99, M;is. Helen Siiitli.
A;n inhabitanitof the mountainous reg,ionof the north and
of the
replacing,S. bel/utZz
part of the state, tlher-e
northeasternl
coastwise countiesand ascendinigto high altitucles.
It is ordinlarilya smaller,more delicate plant than S. ble/umt,
July 2,

paler

green

in color

and

drying paler,

and

withl muclh smaller

by
flowers. So considerable,however,are the variations shownvi
the series of specimensat presenitnecessaryto referto this species
that more thanione species is
that littlecloubtneed be entertainied
inivolved,

Conifident segregationi, however, must await critical

study of more completematerial.

The type of S. Greenelmay be takenas H. E. Brown's no. 35I,
fromMt. Shasta, of which I have seeni fourgood sheets fromas
between exmany herbariaand which is somewhat initermecliate
tr-emes of the series.

Certainspecimens fromhighlelevationsin Plumas Counity,as

well as from Klamath Lake, 01cgOnl (July, I893, Af'1s.ft. 11.
are extremelydelicate and slenclerthroughoutanid bear
Ausstin),
only one or two terminalpeduncles; other specimens are coInleaves. A fewspecisiderablystouterwith broader anid thiinner
long peduincles,
mensvaly suggestivelyfromthe type by uniusually
broad thinleaves and sharplyserrulatestems,and appear also to
be earlier-flowering, several specimenis having beeni collected in

fullfloverin the monithof May.

morethaindoubtfully
A par-ticularly
notablespecimein
associated
with the others here assigned is fiom near-Pentz, Butte Co., collected by /Jfr-s.
Apr-il,I 897 (Herb. Cal. Acad. Sci.), in
C. C. Bruitce,
althoughtypical S. Gr-eeniei
full flowerand withsome maturefruit,
until Juneand July; these speciappears not to bloom or-dinarily
mens are furtherremarkablefortheirgreatlyelongated stems and
leaves, some being 70 cm. high,verypale and glaucous, peduncles
in clustersof 2-5, and capsules very large,becoming 7 mm. high.

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BICKNELL:

STUDIES

IN SISYRINCHIUM

3 85

Sisyrinchium Eastwoodiae sp. nov.

on the herbarium
Glaucescent green, often brownish-tiniged
sheet, 20-60 cm. high; roots clustered,becoming slightlythickened towards the base. Leaves firm,with acute hardened tips,
sometimesnearlyequalling the stem but more oftenhalfits height,
the edges
1-3 mm. or even 4 mm. wide, firmlystriate-nerved,
smooth or1,in forms,roughenedwith minutepoints; stems erect,
oftenflexuouslycurved,about the width of the leaves, flattened
and narrowvly
wingedto subtereteand merelymargined,the edges
smooth or, in forms,bearingclose-set,erect or retrorsecartilaginous points; node mostly one, high up, or sometimes two, its
leaf shorterthan the peduncles,oftenvery short,stiffand bractlike; peduncles one to four, mostly short but sometimes very
slender,3-10 cm. lOtng; spathesnarrow,flattened,1.3-2 cm. long,
the innerone
the br-actsfinely,but not veryclosely striate-nerved,
commonlythe longer and acuminateor apiculate froma scarious
apex, the outer one cuspidate or stiffenedto a short cor-neous
tip, united-claspingfol-4-8 mm. at base; inner scales equaling the shorterbract or sometimes much shorter; flowersr-ather
numerous,8-14, onl erect or slightlyspreadingexserted pedicels,
rathersmall; perianth8-I 2mm. long, the segmentsbroadlyshortaristulatefroma usually slightly retuse apex, violet-purple,the
yellow eye small; stamineal column about 5 mm. long, ovary
loosely glandular puberulent; capsule pale or dark brown,subthick-walled,sparselypuberulent,
globose to obovoid or pyriform,
snmall,
2-4 mm. high; seeds I-4 in each row, about I.5 mm. in
diameter,rugulose.
Valleys and mountainsof Southern Californiaextending into
Lower California,not apparenitly
reachingthe coast; blooms from
early May to Julyor later. Named in honor of Miss Alice Eastwood.
KerinCounty: Tehachapi, June 22, i889, Prof. E. L. Grene,;
San Emidio Cafion,October 2, 1894, Miss Alice Eastzrood.
San BerniardinoCounty: San BernardinoValley, in meadows.
May, i886, S. B. & TV.F. Paris/i,no. 663 (type), also i889 and
I888, by same collectors; Sani Bernardino,May 3, I898, S. B,
Paris/i, i88o, G. R. Vasey; San BerrnlrdinoMountains and their
easternbase, alt. 5,000 ft.,June 28, 1894, S. B. Paris/,no.30z/5.
San Diego County: San Ysabel, May, 1893, R. W. Hens1/zaw;
Cuiamaca Mountains,July 12, I875, EdzwardPazl'ler,no. 37j.
The above descriptionof S. Eastzvoodiaehas been derivedprimarilyfromthe plant of the San BernardinoValley represented

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386

BiCKNELL:

STUDIES

IN SISYRINCHIUMI

mainlyby the collectionsof S. B. and WV.F. Parish. This is,

apparently,the largestformof the species, frequentlydeveloping
two leaf-bearilngnodes, and with the basal leaves mostlyabout
half the heightof the close tufts,becomingeven more than 4 inmm
wide. This plant shovs more or less discoloration on the herbariumsheet. It comes into floverin April and May.
Greene at Tehachapi, still
Specimens collected by Professorfloweringtowaardsthe end of June, are tall, pale in color, with
long, slender,narrowlyattenuateleaves and somewhat flexuous,
very firm,smooth-edged stems with a single node and slenlder
peduncle; the bracts of the spathe are narrow and firm,the
shorterprimaryone witha stiffcorneous tip.
Near this formmay be placed a small, very different-appearing plant collected by Miss Alice Eastwood in San Emidio Cafion,
Kern County,still floweringin October. Its leaves are short,
very slenider,.
especiallythe nodal leaf,the stems and peduLncles
the bracts mostlyunder i.5 cm. in length,and the capsules oInly
2-2.5 mm. high; the outer bract shows the same hardenednail-like tip seen in the Tehachapi specimens.
In the absence of furthermaterialforstudy there may be re-ferredhere, also, Dr. E-dward Palmer's n0o. 371L, collected on
mountains in the southernpartof San Diego Countyin fullflower,
July 12th. These specimens are noteworthy in sevelral ways
especially by reason of the harshly cartilaginous-ciliolate edges of
leaf and stem and the roots which are distinctly woody-thickened
toward the base; the br-actsalso appear to be more membranous,
than in the more northern plant and are mostly very acute, but
without an indurated tip.
Another collection from the San Bernlardino mountains must
for the present filndits place here also, although presenting many
points of contrast. The stems are but 6-I5 cm. high, many of
them simple but others bearing two short peduLncles; the leaves
are short, relatively broad and mainly obtuse as are the broad
short bracts, and both stems and leaves are mote or less denticulate or evenl cartilaginious-ciliolate. This plant was collected by
S. B. Parish in flowver,
June 28th, at an altitude of 5,000 ft., and
though strikingly at variance with the valley plant may well be a-

modifiedsub-alpineform.

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BICKNELL:

STUDIES

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387

Sisyrinchiumfunereumsp. nov.
Stiffand erectin scant tuftsbecoming 5o-6o cm. high, pale
glaucous-greeni,niotdiscoloring when dry,the dead leaves and
stems of the previousseason, bleached to a lightstraw-color,persistingrigidlyamid the freshgrowth; roots softanidstout,mostly
over
2-3 mm. thick towards the base when dried and beconming
30 cm. long. Leaves somewhat shorterthan the stems, very
smooththroughout,stronglyclose-nerved,2-3.5 mm. wide, narrowlytaperinigto an acute, hard-pointedapex, theii bases broadened and equitant; stems 2-4.5 mm. wide, stiffand straight,narrowlyfirm-malginedand very smooth; niode only one, high up,
erect bracteal leaf 4-10 cm. long, subtending2-3
bearinga stiff,
peduncles; peduncles slender,erect,straight
lonlgerapproximnate
or slightly curved, unequal, 4-I 2 cm. long; spathes er-ector
slightly benlt,18-23 mm. long, 2-3 mm. wide; bracts closely
approximate,firmlyclose-nerved,the inner one usually slightly
obtuse,or even truncate
the outer,its tip white-scar-ious,
sur-passing
or emarginateand apiculate,sometimes erose-denticulate; outer
nearlyto the short-pointedapex, broadly
bract hyaline-margined
so below, united-claspingfor 5-7 mm.; inner scales crowded,
silvery white, about equalinig the bracts in length; flowers
numerous,finally12-1 8, on slightlyexsertedpLberulentpedicels;
mm. long, contractedto a
violet-blue, I2-14
perianth-segments
mucronateapex; staminealcolumn about 5.5 mm. high; ovary
; pedicels fascicled,stiffand erect,
densely glandular-puberulent
or somewhatdivergingabove, the weaker ones sometimesspirally
flexuous; capsules lig,ht-colored,thick-walled,3-6 mm. high,
oblonig-ovoidto broadly ovoid, oftentruncatelycontractedabove
and below, more or less distinctlymoulded over the seeds; seeds
ratherfew,2-4 in a row on slenderstipelsfromcentralplacentae,
mostlyglobose and 1.5 mm. in diameter,black, rugulose, reticulate, not umbilicate.
January27, 1891,
Furnace creek canion,Funeral MouLntains,
Frederick V Coville & FrederickFuiistoi, Death Valley Expedition of the U. S. Departmelntof Agriculture,ito.225
A strikingspecies, tall and stiffand verypale in color, with
appressed peduncles,ratherlarge flowersand greatly developed
season to another
root-system. The persistencefromone flowering
of the dried and rigidlyerect leaves and stems is a noteworthy
characteristicof the plant. It would appear fromthe single collectionof the species so farmade that the seeds of one season were
carriedover to the succeeding otneto be released whenithe plant
came again inltoflower.

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BICKNELL:

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Proc. Am. Acad. I2: 277. I 8770

Remarkablyvariable in size and relative proportions; from6
cm. to over 6 dm. high, Mostly 2.5-4 dm., green to glaucescent,
subject to slight or to pronounced discolorationon the herbarium sheet, the tuftsoftenfibrilloseat base, the rootseitherslender
fromarnascendingor horizontal,
or somewhatthickened,frequently
sometimes compound, voody rootstock. Leaves soft and rather
thin, or becoming firm,finelymany-nerved,sometimesequaling
the plant in heightbut usually shorter,mostly2-4 mm.wide (i-6
mm.), acute or aculeate, the edges smooth or denticulate; stems
to
erect,stout or slender, I-4 mm. wide, narrowlyfirm-margined
the edges smooth or denticulate; sides of leaves,
narrowlywvinged,
bracts and stems rarelyobscurely roughened with harsh points;
primarynode supportingfrom2-4 pedunclesor one or two branclhes
each with 1-2 peduncle-beariingnodes; primarystem-leafconspicuous, the bracteal leaves usLuallymuch reduced; peduncles
stout or very slender,straightor curved,divergentor erect,sometimesveryshortbut becoming IS cm. long; spathesveryvariable,
linear,lanceolate,or shortoblong, i.5-6 mm. wide when pressed,
the bracts green or purplish,very acute to obtuse, straighitto
stronglyincurved,subequal or very unequal, when subequal i.53 cm. long, when very unequal foliaceousand reachilnga lengthof
3.5 cm. forthe innerand 5.5 cm. forthe outer bract; bracts finely
the edges oftenconspicuouslywhiteor purplishmarmany-nerved,
gined,the outer one united-claspingbelow for from '$ to Y, its
length; innerscales mostly brownishtinged,sometimesequaling
the bracts,but usually much shorter; flovers on slightlyor slenderlyexserted erect or divergingpedicels,varying in color from
blue and violet to lilac, in lightand daik shades, in one specimen
pure white; segments sharply emarginate or contracted to the
-mucronateor aristulateapex, 12-20 mm.long; column 5-7 mm.
SISYRINTCHIUM BELLUM S. Watson,

high; ovary glandular-puberulent to glabrous;

capsules dark or

in some
pale browni,depressed-globoseto obovoid or pyriform,
trilobulate,2-7 mm. long; seeds I or 2 to 5-6 in
formsstroingly
each row, about i.5 mm. in diameter,dark,pitted,subglobose.
Apparentlycommon in all the coastwise counties from San
Diego to Mendocino,extending from the immediatecoast back
into the mountains,but no evidence has developed of its occurrence in any of the inland counties.
In the southern part of the state the species begiinsto flower
in February and March, and sometimes even in March in the
neighbor-hoodof San Francisco. At its northernlimitflowering
begins in May and June,continuinginto Julyand August.

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BICKNELL:

STUDIES

IN SISYRINCHIUM

38 9

San Diego County: San Diego, 185o, C. C. Parry, May, 1852,

Geo. T1urber; Apr-il,i866, Weed;, I882, C. G. Prinzg/c;1884,
C. R. Ozcut/; I885, E. L. Greene; February I9, IS9I, Alice
Eastwood; Delmar, April I6, 1895, Belle S. Anglier; Fall Brook,
E. Jones.
March I7, 1882, Maircuts
Los Angeles County: Los Angeles, April, iSSS, Dr,. H. E.
Hasse, March 14, 1890, Frlic/dey,San Gabriel,March 23, 1854,
Dr. J. M. Bigelozu.
Santa Barbara County: Santa Barbara, 1874, Miss S. P. Monks.
Monterey Coutity: Santa Lucia Mountainis,August, I 885,
T. S. Brancdegee; April, 1898, and May 20, i897, R. A. Plaskett,
Santa Cruz County: Horace Doavis.
San Mateo County: Pur-isima,April, i898, Blenheim, May
I 9, I 90 I, Alice Eastwood.
Alameda Counity: Salinas Plains, Mar-ch, i866, A. Wood;
Berkeley, 1882, i886, E. L. Greene; 1892, Mic/lener& Biole/ti;

Point Isabel, June, I 900g,Alice Eastitood.

San Francisco County : near San Francisco, Dr. A.Kellogg,

& Blob/eti;May, I 894, Alice East866; March, 1892, MCIcZenCr
woood.
Marin County: April, I895, Alice Eastzevood.
Solano County: i866, A. W11ood;Bernicia,Rev. J. P. Moore.
Sonoma County: E. Samnu
els; Bodega Point, July 4, 1900,
Hood Mountain, April 27, I893, Altruria,April 7, I900, Alice
I

Eastwood,

Mendocino County: Lolng Valley,

i87I;

May, i898, June,

I 898, H. E. Browcn, Red Mountain, Strong Mountain, May 21-28,

1902, Fort Bragg, August 9, 1902, Alice Eastzvood.

Although no specifictype of Sisyjrinchilzmbelluinis cited by

Dr. Watson, a numberof sheets labeled by his hand ale preserved
in the Gray Herbarium. Among these are excellentexamples of
the stout and large-floweredcoastwise plant which Dr. Watson's
description furthurunmistakablydefines. There need be no
as to the 1ight application of the name Sisydoubt, therefore,
the existenceof several sheets io
rinchiulum
belluin,fnotwithstanding
labelled by Dr. Watson, which,as it now appears, really repiesent
otherspecies.
is still quite cerEven as here delimited,however,S. bellzimZ

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390

BICK-NELL:

STUDIES

IN S1SYRINCHIUM

linies of subdivisioil nlot

taiinly an aggregate, aci certaini fLlrtlher
to reveal themexpected
be
may
coiafideintly
slhown
yet clear-ly
se lves to careful field observatioin anid tlhe stldy of ample material.
In the more soutlhernicoastwise counlties of the state OCCUrs a
commtonalymore tuftecl,smallei atnd more braniched thanithce
formll
type, ofteni moie fibrillose about the base anid usually turningb
much darker oni the lherbar-iuinsheet ; other comparative differences appear in very slenider erect pedLincles, smaller siatlhes with
sLbccqual oftenislharplyapicuLlateor acuLlcatebracts, smaller flowers
aind small, dark, trilobulate capsules only 2-4 mm. high.
IN marked conitrastwith this is anlotlher for-m apparenltly colfiied also to the soutlhernicoastwise counities -whichdiscolors less
when cliryancl is tall aind stout, with ratlher short, culved pedtllcles, short, oval spathes with mostly equal, ofteni obtuse bracts,
anid appai-enitlylarg-erflowers with broader less slenlderlyaristulate
segmneints.
Similar to the type, buLt usually lower aind less braniched ancl
witli shorter pedunicles, is a form appar-entlybest developed somein the ranige of the species which is niotewvortlly
what northlNward
for its conispicuously foliaceous anid oftelngreatly elongbated uInequal biacts; in this plaint the ovary is sometimes, at least, qUite
glabr-o us.

Also from niortlhwardin the rangc,eof the species, especially

from Menidocinio Coutnty, come a few specimens very sleinder
throughloult

having

mostly

two slenidel- appiroximate

pedulncles,

narrow, very acute br-acts,muclhexserted peclicels, the flowers Nwitl

narrow segniciits, and small, subglobose, few-seeded capsules.
Still fur-thelratlhersuggestive iindicationisof other species are
afforded by certain imperfect oi fragmentary specimenis of little
use to cliscuss at the presenittime.
Sisyrinchium hesperium sp. nov.

somewhatopenituftssparsely
Sleilder,erector ascendiig in thiin,
fibr-illose
at base, 25-40 cm. high, chill greenand glaucesccntbecomiing brownishin dryiing,,the sleinder r-oots niumel-ous aind
delnselyclustered. Leaves thiinand soft ol becomiingfirm,lhalf
the heig,htof the stemior less, I-3 mm. or even14 mm. wide,
usually narrowed towards tlhe base, tapering-acute,straight or
slighltlyfalcate,the edigessmootlhoi-obscurelyclenticulate-rougi>
ened; stems fragile,1-2.5 mm. wide, merely mairined, or with

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I3LCKNELL: STUDIES IN SISYRINCHIUNI

'391

wings,the edges smooth or slightlydenticun1ar0ow

finelyn1erved-ci
late; peduncles I-3, erect or diverging,long and very sleinder-,
5-14 cm. in length; spatliesnarrow,15-25 mm. lolng o0 the outer
delibract longer; bracts membrainous,narrow, ofteniattenluate,
catelyinerved,
mostlycuspidate-acuteanidoftennarrowlyaristulate,
the outer onieunited-claspingcbelow for
distinctlywhite-mar-ined,
at5-IO mm.,sometitnesforhalfits leng,th; innierscales narrowv,
of the bracts; flowerson
tenuate,about three-quartelsthe leng(,th
peliantlhabotutio
hair-likeexselted pedicels, deep violet-pur-ple,
mm. lonig; stamiiineal colulmnliabout 5 mm. lon(g; capsules oftenl
on flexuously spreading pedicels, brown, thin-walled,obovoidto subglobose, S mm.high,slightlypuberLIlelt; seeds
pIyriform
only2-4 in each row, large, becomiiig i.5 mllm.oi more ill cliatm
ter, ruuLilose.

Near thebounidarybetweenSanitaBarbara aindSaniLuis Obispo

9, 1S96 (type).
Couinties,Dutard's Ranch, MVJay
ii, 1893.
Fresi1oCouInty: WaLUtha1,MiJay
MonitereyCounty: Melpitas Ranlch,Sanita Lucia Mountains,
M\ay1-12, 1899.
Alice EastAll in flowverand early fruitand collected by 2M1iss

zuootl. In Herb. Cal. Acad. Sci.

A mtuchmore slenderand delicatespecies thatuS. bell/iii,ofteln
veryfragilc,with long, veryslender pedunicles,smaller,more del
icate floweison hairlike,mostlyflexuouslyexserted pedicels,and
capsules.
smaller,thinner-xwalled

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