144 DR. R. R. GATES : A STUDY OF NORTH AMERICAN 
According to Jepson *, X. tenax at Mt. Tamalpais, Calif., appears to bloom 
only once in seven years; and at Howell Mountain, Napa Co., it is said to 
fruit only once in five years. Plants in Sonoma Co. show “an irregular 
perianth ; the (apparently) upper perianth-segment is keeled, the two 
adjoining ones auricled or strongly oblique on the upper side at base; 
leaves somewhat revolute-concave as if channelled.” 
The following specimens of X. tenaz have narrow leaves (2 mm. or more) 
as in X. asphodeloides, but flowers somewhat larger (6-8 mm. long) as in the 
true X. tenax :— 
S. Fork Mountain, Humboldt Co., Cal., Chesnut and Drew, July 21, 1888, 
Univ. Cal. Herb. 13722. On plains near Mendocino City, Cal, 4784, 
H. N. Bolander, May 8, 1866, U. C. Herb. 4083 and 4084. Mt. Tamalpais, 
Marin Co., Cal., Alice Eastwood, June 16, 1901, U. C. Herb. 167934. Mt. 
Eddy, Siskiyou Co., Cal., 3872, Dr. E. B. Copeland, Sept. 6, 1903, U. C. 
Herb. 142151. Mt. Tamalpais, Cal, Alice Eastwood, May 1, 1898, U. C. 
Herb. 142057. 
It appears that narrow-leaved forms are most frequent in some localities, 
and there are plants with leaves of intermediate width as well, as in specimens 
from Yamhill Co., Oregon. 
X. Douglasii is an obscure and little-known species. It may be questioned 
whether it is distinguishable from the eastern species, with which it evidently 
agrees in most particulars, It is said to have shorter pedicels than X. tenax 
(12-30 mm., instead of 3-5 em ), smaller flowers, very short styles (1", instead 
of 2" long), a cordate-ovate, 6-valved capsule, and shorter and broader seeds. 
None of the western specimens I have seen corresponds with all these require- 
ments. Intermediates between X. Douglasii and X. tenaz probably occur. 
The latter species is exceedingly abundant in Idaho, where it often covers 
hundreds of acres f. 
S. Watson f speaks of X. Douglasii as follows :—“ Found in the mountains 
from the Columbia to Montana, is a similar species [to X. tenax] with a 
narrower raceme of smaller flowers ; stamens included ; styles a line long ; 
capsule cordate-ovate, 2 lines long, the very abruptly acute cells usually 
separating and then dehiscing loculicidally ; seeds shorter and broader.” 
The distribution of the genus is interesting, the single species of the south- 
eastern United States being widely sundered from X. tenax of the Rocky 
Mountain region. It is perhaps worth pointing out that the main difference 
between X. asphodeloides and X. tenax is similar to that between Stenanthium 
gramineum and S. robustum, namely in general size and leaf-width. In the 
latter ease, however, both species occupy much the same area, though 
* Jepson, W. L., Fl. W. Mid. Calif. p. 124 (1901). 
T According to Piper, Fl. State Washington, Contrib. U.S. Nat. Herb. xi. (1906) 197. 
|. Bot. Calif. ii, (1880) 186. 
