Torrey Botanical Society

Studies in Sisyrinchium, II:-Four New Species from Michigan

Author(s): Eugene P. Bicknell
Source: Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, Vol. 26, No. 6 (Jun., 1899), pp. 297-300
Published by: Torrey Botanical Society
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2478402
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Michigan.
11:-FournewSpeciesfrom
Studiesin Sisyrinchium,
BY EUG,ENE P. BICKNELL

As representedin Michigan the genus Sisyri;zclzizi;zpresents

-somealtogether unexpectedfeatures. As many as eight species
occur in the state,thatis to say, eightspecies are includedamong
several small collections of Michigan Blue-eyed Grasses which
have been sent to me; it is quite probable that the actual number of species belonging to the state flora is even in excess of
-this. Two of the species are the now well knownS. ang-ustijolium
-andS. graininoides,common in the eastern states; two are long
species which must be restoredto good standing the
*discredited
of Michaux, describedin I803, and the S. albidu;'
S. mucroizatuin
.of Rafinesque,published in I832; about these-I shall have more
to say on another occasion; the remainingfour species are here
described.
It does not yet appear which are the prevailingspecies in the
seems to have been the most frequently
-state. S. gramninoides
collected,occurringboth north and south, but it is apparently
which is common
-quitewantingin certain sections. S. albidumn,
furthersouth,seems to prevailin the southern part of the state,
where it has been collected by ProfessorWheeler, Mr. Farwell
and the Misses Camp; Mr. Farwell has also obtained it in Keecommon
-weenawCountyin the extremenorth. S. angustifoliumn,
,eastward,and also to the north and west, appears to occur only
.sparingly. The fournew species must be regarded forthe pres,ent as rare,each having been collected only at a single station.
Sisyrinchium hastile'
Very slenderand rigidlyerect,apparentlylittleif at all tufted,
30-40 cm. high, dull green becoming brownishin drying.
Leaves very narrow and stiff,thickened,I mm. or less wide but
becomingover 30 cm. long, taperinginto a veryslender,obtusely
pointed,sometimesteretea-pex,very closely striate-nervedgranulose-roughenedthroughoutwithminutewhitishpoints,except the
broadenedand membranoussheathingbase; stems resemblingthe
leaves, equally slender and granulose,rigid and verystraight,or
( 297 )

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298

BICK NELL:

STUDIES IN SISYRINCHIUM

sometimestwistedand undulate,stronclystriate,not at all winged

butsubtereteand bluntlytwo-edgedor obscurelymarginied:spathes
in a conjugate pair at the top of the stem,or sometimessolitary,
withinthe base of the comthe outer one stoutlyshort-stipitate
mon outer bract,each spathe consistingof two opposite pairs of
closely imbricated bracts 2-3 cm. long whichare attenuate-lanceoand striate,wvithhyaline margins,the inner
late, stiff-membranous
acuminations,all glabrousor
pair taperingintoweak white-scarious
the outermostobscurelyroughened,the common outer bract very
slenderlyprolonged for half its length and surpassing the inner
ones I-5 cm.; interiorscales ample, sometimesslightlyexserted,
bracts: flowersapparthe largerones even appearinglike inferior
entlyonly I-3 in each spathe,on erect,scarcelyexsertedpedicels
I.5-2.3
cm. lonc, matureflowernot seen; a driedand brownbud
fromwithina spatheshowedunusuallylong and narrowanthers(4.5
mm. long) cleftforthe insertionof the short,partlyfreefilaments,
and slenderstyles about 2 mm. long not, however,surpassingthe
stamens: young capsule obovate-oblong,dark, rugulose.
Described froma. fewimperfectspecimens communicatedby
Mr. 0. A. Farwell, who collected them June 6, I896, on "sandy
shores of Belle Isle, in the Detroit River, Michigani."
A remarkableplant not closely related to any of our species,.
but showinga numberof str-iking
peculiaritiesand evenpossessing:
claims to genericdistinction.

SisyrinchiumFarwellii
Thinly tuftedfroma cluster of very slenderwiryroots which
are dark and finelystriate when dried, the bases of the tufts
sheathed with a coating of coarse dull-brown fibers. Leaves
and sternsratherlight dull-greenand slightly glaucescent,not
: leaves
blackening in drying,the spathes paler yellowish-green
apparentlynot more than halfthe height of the stem,becoming
3 mm. wide, firmin texture though ratherthinand membranous,
the edges smoothor serrulate:stems
finelynerved,attenuate-acute,
flexuous-erect,
20-30 cm. high, I-2 mm. wide,the wingsthiniand
finelynerved,minutelyaculeolate-serrulateor sometimessmooth
below; bractealleafshorterthan the two or threepeduncles,slenderlyattenuate,below ratherabruptlybroadenedand loosely claspthe keel someing, the membranoussheathingbase striate-nerved,
times very rough-serrulate,
stem sometimes bearing two rather
distantnodes each withitsleafand peduncles: peduncles4-I I cm.
very slenider,mostly less
long, somewhat curved, approxinmate,
than .5 mm. wide, narrowlythin-margined,
smooth to ciliolate-

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BICKNELL:

STUDIES

IN SISYRINCHIUM

299

serrulateonly on one side: spathes narrow

scrrulate,somn2times
but abruptlybroaderthan the peduncles,erect or slightlybent,
mm. long, bracts sub-equal or the outer one slightlyproI7-20
longed, thinand membranous,narrowlyhyaline margined finely
or sometimesobscurely nerved,narrow and attenuate, slenderpointed or sub-aristulate,or the inner one mucronate froma
scarious apex, the outer one clasping for 2-3 mm. at base:
interiorscales about half the lengthof the bracts: flowers 5-9r
pale-blue, verysmall; perianthappearingto be only about 6 mm.
long, very delicate and faintly-nerved:capsules pale and thinexwalled, 3-5 mm. high,on slender,somewhatflexuously-erect,
sertedpedicels, I7-25 mm. long.
SoutheasternMichigan, Birmingham,Oakland County,September27, 1898, 0. A. Farwell.
Very distinctfromany species of the Eastern States, appearing
and
to group more naturallywiththe fibrous-basedS. Flor-ida,lzu,z
allied species of the South.

Sisyrinchiumstrictum
About 30 cm. high in close tuftsnot fibrous-coatedat base,
pale, brightgreenand glaucous, keepingits color when dried,the
spathes oftenpurple and sometimes the entireplant purplishtinged. Leaves over half the height of the stems,closely erect,
rather thin, but firmand closely striate-nerved,I-2 mm. wide,
slenderlyacute, the edges minutelyserrulateto smooth; stems
about I.5 mm. wide,the wing-marginsratherthin,mostlyserrushorteror
late; node only one, bearinga slendererectbracteal-leaf,
longerthanthemostlytwoshort,erect,approximatepeduncleswhich
withdenticulateedges: spathes erect,
are narrowlywing-margined
narrowed into the peduncle, 16-20 mm. long, I.5-3 mm. wide,
the bractssubequal, but usually the inner one slightlysurpassing
the outer and obviouslythe broaderabove, acute or mucronulate,
almost carinate,the dorsal line Qf the
rather openly fine-nerved,
outerbract usually showinga more or less abruptdescentintothe
acuminate apical part, the margins below slightly hyaline,
unitedforabout 5 mm. above the base; interiorscales small, half
the lengthof the bracts or less : flowers3-6 on erect,slightly
exsertedpedicels 20-23 mm. long; perianthdeep blue-purple,apparentlyabout io mm.long; staminealcolumnabout 5 mm. high;
pedicels distinctlymarginedor even winged,the exsertedtips becoming purple: a single capsule is truncateobovate, pale and
thin-walled over 4 mm. high: seeds not quite mature, oblong,

dark and rugulose-pitted,I-1.25

mm. in longer diameter.

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300

BICKNELL:

STUDIES

IN SISYRINCHIUM

Vestaburg,MontcalmCounty,Michigan,collectedby Professor
C. F. Wheeler,June 22, I898, "in sandy soil well in the southern
limitsof the whitepine country."
Appearingsomewhatintermediatebetweenformsof S. Atlanticurn and S. mucronatumin
Michx., but unmistakablydistinctfrom
either.
Sisyrinchium apiculatum
Loosely tufted from contractedlybranched rootstocks and
slender wiryroots,pale green and glaucescent not turningdark
when dry, about 40 cm. high. Leaves loosely erect, apparentlyfewand less than halfthe heightof the stems,I.5-2 mm. or
morewide,acute, thinbut firm,closely striate-nerved,
verysmoothand becomingloosely flexuedged, somewhatwithering-persistent
ous and fibrilloseabout the base of the tufts; stems erect,I-2 mm.
wide, narrowlywinged; nodes mostly two, separated by an interval of 4-6 cm., the lower bearing a foliaceous erect bractealleaf and one or two peduncles oftenmuch surpassingthe second
node,which supportsa shortbracteal leaf and two or threepeduncles; pedunclesveryslender,narrowlymargined,smooth or finely
denticulate,distinctlyconstrictedat the base of the spathe, erect
or divergent,those fromthe firstnode sometimes8 cm. long, the
upper ones shorter: spathes oftendeflected,short and relatively
mm. long, 2-3 mm. wide, the bracts subequal,
broad, Io-3
mostlyincurvedabove, acute, or the innerone sometimesobtuse,
prominentlystriate,broadly hyaline-margined,
convex and sharpedged, the innerone emerging ratherabruptlyabove the clasping
base (3-4 mm.long) of the outer one; interiorscales ratherbroad
and blunt,nmuchshorter than the bracts,flowersabout 6, blue,
rathersmall; perianthabout 8 mm.long; staminealcolumn about
4 mm. high; ovary glandular-puberulent:capsule dark, broadly
subglobose, apiculate,sparsely puberulent,on loosely erect,distinctlymarginedpedicels, I3-I7 mm. long.
Muskegon,'Muskegon Co., Michigan, June, I898, communicated by ProfessorW. J. Beal.
In appearance perhaps most suggestiveof S. Atlanticuimi,
but
not at all that species.

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