54 -^ ^^^ Perityle. ' [zoE 



the flowers of an unknown tree I caught two of the same style, but 

 with broad tails an inch long. 



On my way home I overtook a little Mexican boy who had gath- 

 ered a basket-full of the fruit of the cucurbit vine. He said that the 

 fruit was good to eat (but then these people will always say " si " to 

 anything you may ask them), and then I asked him if he would sell 

 me some? His eyes danced with delight, and he eagerly said "Si, 

 senor," and I asked how many he would give for " un tlaco," and 

 he hurriedly selected five and offered them to me, whereat I began 

 to be ashamed of myself for leading him to think he would get 

 money, while I had already a pocket-full of the fruit, and did not 

 wish to buy, but only to exercise my Spanish. So I got the copper 

 coin and gave it to him, but declined to take the fruit; but I think 

 that he was so glad to get the money— probably his first coin 

 that he is to this day ignorant whether he gave me the fruit or not. 

 These fruits I afterward saw sold in the market; they are fed to 

 canaries, but are not used as food by people. The outside is of 

 deep lemon color, roughly verrucose, while the seeds are of a bright 

 cardinal red; altogether a most lovely fruit. 



A NEW PERITYLE. 



BY T. S. BRANDEGEE. 



Perityle cuxNEAta. Annual, erect 4-7 dm. high, branching 

 above, pubescent and glandular; leaves opposite on the stem, alter^ 

 nate on the branches, broadly obovate, truncate or somewhat cord- 

 ate at base, irregularly serrate and minutely ciliate, 5-10 cm. long, 

 on slender petioles of variable length; branches few ; heads rather 

 large and showy, 6-8 mm. high on slender peduncles 1-3 em. long; 

 rays yellow, oblong, 3-crenate, 6-8 mm. long, rather numerous 1 

 akenes obovate, somewhat cuneate; margin callous often reddened' 

 short hirsute; pappus 2 broad lacerate squamelte about | the length 

 of the akene, and two slender, upward scabrous awns about twice as 

 long as the scales. 



Sierra de Laguna near Todos Santos, Baja California, growing in 

 W soil on the sides of canons about the base of the mountains. 

 Diffenng from all the other annual species in its upright growth the 

 few branches springing from the upper part of the stem. The apex 

 of the akene, and in consequence the pappus, is often oblique. 



