33 



not in the characters given above. The bracts of 6". umbcHata 2irt from 



1 to li long, usually ^ 

 the stem are slightly hyaline at base ; seed black, shiniVg SLiid tiiber- 

 culate in pretty evident circular lines, not striate as figured by Torrey. 

 The bracts of var. montana are scarcely ever shorter than the sepals, 

 but often longer ; upper scales on the stem hyaline all over, the hya- 

 line part on each side being twice the width of the green centre. The 

 heads of S. umbellata are usually divided into many small, dense, 

 round glomerules : in the var. they are all compacted into one large 

 dense head, the peduncles seldom being longer than the bracts. The 

 bracts of 6". nmbellata are obvate ; those of the var. are ovate-oblong 

 or (usually) orbicular. The var. grows at a higher altitude than the 

 typical form, generally close to snow, 

 ^ OxYTHECA Reddingiaka.— Bracts united only at the base, linear, 

 hirsute, awnless, gradually reduced ; leaves very narrowly linear- 

 oblanceolate, i" long, less than i" wide, hirsute ; involucres 4-cleft 

 below the middle, the short, ovate hyaline margined lobes barely 

 acute, i" long, awnless ; pedicel glabrous, reddish, capillary, from 2 . 

 to 10 times tlie length of the involucre : flowers i" long, deep rose- 

 colored, the centre of the segments almost black and the edges white 

 or yellow, segments ovate, rounded, somewhat "narrowed at base, 

 sparsely hairy along the centre. The main stem and all its branches 

 are pubescent with stalked glands. Resembles Gilia pnsilla and is 

 scarcely less delicate. ' 



Near the snow-sheds at Soda Springs, near Summit, Cal, July, 



1882. Dedicated to Mr. B. B. Redding, to whom we are indebted 



for much of our knowledge of Californian botany. Though his in- • 



terest has been greater and his aid more substantial than that of 



almost any other man, his services have never yet been recognized. 



I therefore take this opportunity to dedicate to him this pretty little 

 annual. ^ 



_ Mr. Watson says that this plant is Eriogonum sper^ulinum, but it 

 is m my judgment a far better Oxytheca, and'is wrongly referred to 

 Eriogonum, Its nearest relatives are O. merinis and O. detidroidea. 

 It tends to invalidate the genus Oxytheca, as does also O. inermis 

 by the absence of awns. It is, however, in all other respects a eood 

 Oxytheca. ^ ^ 



Salt Lake City, Utah. 



■ 



Change Of Name in a Grass—In recent studies on Hilaria and 



Fleuraphis I came to regard them as very closely allied genera and 

 in fact, saw no reason why they should not be united The charac- 

 ters of the spikelets also pointed rather to Paniceae (beinc articu- 

 lated mth the pedicel below the glumes, etc.) than^to the 



Ph In.^T 'ir^' had been assigned by authors-//-//..r/« in 



Phalandeae and Fleuraphis in Pappophoreae 



I communicated these views to my friend' Dr. Vasev Botanist of 

 the Department of Agriculture at W'ishin<rfr.r^ v ^ist} liotanist 01 

 rPT.lv ''Act^ Pr. 6*.''-""^"^^, at Washington, and he states in 



B^ulria Mr IVn^P ' ^?-' ^'' "^'''^^ ^^ '« ''^ relationship with 



^P/a 4m.Wo //^ ™' '" ^''' ''"""' P"H^^ «n Gramineae, reduces 

 rianaphn to Ihlaria, so we must now wnte ^/7ar/a y«;«^j^y Benth 



