177 



Sida tragiaefolia Gray, Boat. Jonrn. Nat, Hist. 2 :164. 1850. 



Low shrubs 3 to 6 dm. high; leaves stellate above; calyx 18 nun. broad; petals 18 

 mm. long, "orange yellow." 



Collected by Dr. K. Palmer in crevices of rock on mountain side near Topolobampo, 

 State of Sinaloa, September, 1897 (No. 199). 



This is considerably out of the supposed range of S. tragiaefolia and differs also in 

 having larger flowers, more shrubby stems, etc. 



SPHAERALCEA. 



Sphaeralcea angustifolia (Cav.) Don, Hist. Dichl. PI. 1 : 465. 1831. Malra angusti- 

 folia Cav. Monadelph. Diss. 2 : 61, t. 29, f. 3. 1786. 



Flowers violet. Collected by J. N. Rose along railroad in the State of Sail Luis 

 PotoBi, September 28, 1897 (No. 3074). 

 Sphaeralcea angustifolia cuspidata Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 22 : 293. 1887. 



Flowers orange color. 



Collected by J. N. Rose at El Paso, June 1, 1897 (No. 1189). In the field these two 

 forms appear specifically distinct, although after examining a large series of herba- 

 rium specimens I have hesitated to separate tbetn. 



If restored to specific rank Sphaeralcea steUata Torr. & Gr. (Sida stellata Torr.) 

 would seem to be the proper designation. 

 Sphaeralcea arida Rose, sp. nov. 



Stems 6 to 12 dm. high, much branched, the young branches densely stellate, 

 becoming glabrate; leaves small, 15 to 35 mm. long, ovate, somewhat 3-lobed, ere- 

 mite, densely stellate on both sides; petals very short (4 to 5 mm. long); flowers in 

 more or less leafy racemes or panicles; calyx 8 mm. long, cleft below the middle, 

 shortly acuminate, densely stellate ; petals yellowish (?), drying purplish, 12 to 15 mm. 

 long; carpels oblong, 4 to 5 mm. long, apiculate at apex, base strongly reticulated, 

 one-seeded. 



Collected by Dr. E. Palmer on the border of a garden in the arid region about 

 Gnaymas, Sonora, in 1887 (No. 90), and from the same locality by J. N. Rose in com- 

 pany with Dr. E. Palmer, June 5 to 11, 1897 (No. 1209). Dr. E. Palmer's plant was 

 referred to S. ambigua ' from which it is abundantly distinct. Type, J. N. Rose's 

 No. 1209. 

 Sphaeralcea californica Rose, Contr. Nat. Herb. 1 : 66. 1890. 



Stems often 15 dm. high, much branched; (lowers light orange, drying yellowish. 

 Common in waste places. 



Collected by J. N. Rose at La Paz, Lower California, June 14, 1897 (No. 1305). 

 Sphaeralcea pedatifida (Gray) Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 22 : 291. 1887. Malvastrum 

 pedatiftdum Gray, Post. Joura, Nat. Hist. 2: 160. 1850. 



Collected by J. N. Pose at El Paso, Tex., June 1, 1897 (No. 1188). 



El Paso is probably the type locality of this species. 



WISSADULA. 



§ Abotilastrum Baker, Journ. Pot. 31: 70. 1893. 



This section as originally used contained but one species ( W. aeabra). It is well 

 named, but should bo somewhat modified and enlarged so as to include also certain 

 species which have more strikingly the habit and flowers of Abutilon. As I under- 

 stand the section, it should include the following five species: 

 Wissadula scabra Presl, Reliq. Haenk. 2: 117, t. 69, figs. 1 to 14. 1836. 

 Presl gives no more definite locality for this species than "Mexico." 

 I have referred "here the two following collections, although they both should be 

 compared with the type specimens: Mr. Pringle's No. 1721 (1888) from the barranca 

 near Guadalajara and J. N. Rose's No. 2928 from near Polanos, Jalisco. 



1 Proc. Am. Acad. 24 : 41. 



