REVISION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF 



HOFFMANSEGGiA. 



By K. i[. Fisiir.it, 



111 this |>ap(n* species of the United Stiitcs and ^fexico are inclnded. 

 Foreign spcides are omitted excerpt whcire they extend into tliis country. 

 The ji;'eiius is taken as commoidy detintHi, no attempt being- made except 

 to present a syno])tical view oi' the species. This revision is based 

 upon tlie material contained in the National ITerbariiinij iu whicli nearly 

 all the spe(!ies are fully )'«'i)reseiited, an<l which has been [)laced in my 

 hands through tlie kindness of Dr. (l(;orge Yjisey. T am also inch^bted 

 to Dr. Sei'eno Watson, Dr. ffohn M. (Joulter, J)r. William Trelease, Mr. 

 John Doniudl-8mith, and Mr, I, C. INlartindale, who have placed at my 

 disposal the colhn'tions which they own or have in charge. 1 am espe- 

 cially indebted to Dr. Coulter lor his many suggestions and his assist- 

 ance at difficult points. The compound microscope was used contin- 

 ually throughout these observations, and is indispensable in testing 

 many relationshijis. 



Historical sketch. — This genus was estaldished by Cavenilles, and 

 published in his Icones iv. (i3 (1797), as containing two species, ll.J'al- 

 eariu and //. trifoliafa. Two years later { 171>S>), in Icones v. 1. 1. 4()li, he 

 published the genus Poiuaria, including one speci(!S, P. f/ltindulosa. 

 De Candolle defined tlie genus Melanosiicta and published it in his 

 Memoires Leguminosa', xii (1835), including one species, M, BurchcUii. 

 Torrey and Gray (Fl. N. A. i. .'iOU) unit(Ml them all without hesitation. 

 Up to that time {1S40) tlicrc were only -"> or 4 species described in Xorth 

 America. At the present time lo species and 9 varieties have come 

 und(^r my observation, of which 2 species and 4 varieties seem to ha\'e 

 been undescribed. 



Characters. — The glands furnish the first ami most important group 

 of characters, and in several instaut-es furnish si)ecific distinctions. 

 They may be thrown into two different divisions: sti])itate glands and 

 black sessile (or subsessile) glanils. The former belong to IIofitKniHcff- 

 gia proper (having ])etals with long claws) and the old genus Fomaria 

 (havings petals with sliort claws); while the hitter are characteristic! of 

 the ohl genus MeUoioHticta. Another group contains both kinds. The 

 Melanosticta group is further separated into three divisions by the 

 characters of the glands on the flowers, which is sufffcient to clear up 



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