254 Contributions to Western Botany. | [ZOE 
the soil. A single specimen of what appears to be a new species 
of this genus was brought by Mr. Louis King from Portland, 
Or., but being very badly preserved I must leave its description for 
some future time. 
CONTRIBUTIONS TO WESTERN BOTANY. No. 5. 
BY MARCUS E. JONES. 
REVISION OF THE AMERICAN SPECIES OF AQUILEGIA NORTH 
OF MEXICO. 
In studying the species of this genus a person is struck with 
the amount of labor wasted in describing them, and the 
uncertainty attaching to the species recognized. This is due 
largely to the multitude of characters belonging to the genus 
that are not given in any book and which most people do not 
know are generic. The really specific characters are few. 
There are two distinct lines of species in the genus so far as our 
western ones are concerned, which hybridize among themselves 
and possibly with each other. One line has petal-limb dilated 
above and flowers never truly red; the other has petal-limb not 
dilated above and red or reddish flowers. ‘The following gives my 
views of this genus, though I am inclined to think: that further 
research may prove that A. flavescens will become a variety of 
cerulea, A. formosa a variety of A. Canadensis, while the margin 
between cerulea and chrysantha is very slight. 
AQUILEGIA I. COLUMBINE, 
Parts of flowers in fives (except stamens) petal-like, alternate, 
Stamens many. Sepals narrowed at base into a short claw 
and bent at base, usually acute, equaling the limb of petal or 
longer, widely spreading or reflexed, rather veiny, often green- 
tipped and simulating a gland. Petals either saccate at insertion 
or Prolonged backward into hollow, usually tapering spurs 
which are short to four inches long and with a nectary in the 
Up, Set obliquely on the spur; limb of petals either almost 
obsolete or nearly equaling the sepals, usually rather thick, erect 
and yellow, or sometimes white at least at the tip. ‘Siaueone 
