4 Rhodora [January 



leaves occur in the perennial species, while the extreme stages of 

 capsule-lobing and flattening, of few and large seeds, and of alter- 

 nate leaves are in the relatively few annual sorts. Also, as is the 

 general habit in allied genera, the original Veronicellas were surely 

 erect herbs. 



In Euvcronica the stem continues indefinitely as a vegetative axis, 

 its leaves opposite throughout, while the inflorescence is localized 

 in specialized axillary racemes. This is the inflorescence of Hebe, 

 but the diversity of capsule-structure tells us that such localization 

 must have originated independently in these two groups. Else- 

 where in this tribe I know it only in the Chinese Botryopleuron Hems- 

 ley, which seems to be separated by little else from Calorhabdos 

 Bentham. The flowers in the racemes of Euvcronica are alternate 

 as they are in all inflorescences of }'eroniccUu. This accords with 

 the view that these racemes are reduced branches, and not formed by 

 the forking of originally simple pedicels. No stages suggesting the 

 latter alternative are known to exist, and the fact that remote axil- 

 lary flowers occur in VeroniceUa only in some profoundly modified 

 annual species makes such a derivation very improbable. The 

 species of Euvcronica are all perennial, and such an erect-growing 

 species as V. latifolia, which has a scarcely notched capsule, shows a 

 close approximation in habit to the most primitive group of Veroni- 

 ceUa, including species such as V. maritime and V. mcxicana. 



A few words need be said concerning age and distribution of vari- 

 ous species. Contrary to expectation and certain widely advanced 

 theories, it is not those species whose structures proclaim them as 

 most ancient which are necessarily most widely dispersed. Struc- 

 turally none of our species can make better claim to antiquity than 

 Veronica mcxicana, yet this species occurs only in a limited area in 

 the mountains of northern Mexico. Obviously it has no close kindred 

 in our flora, and so must, I believe, be considered a relict. Again, 

 V. Copelandii, our only other species definitely retaining the pos- 

 terior sepal, is known from but a few mountains in California. On 

 the other hand, the group of Veronica alpina and V. Worm.skjoldii 

 has a wide range through Temperate North America and Eurasia, 

 although it has become divided geographically into several well- 

 marked species. But it is the obviously non-primitive species which 

 have prospered most and have become or are becoming very wide- 

 spread. These possess peculiar skill in taking advantage of natural, 



