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long or much shorter, mostly unbranched, terminated by a 4-to 
10-flowered glomerule; flowers borne singly in the axils of white 
scarlous cuspidate bracts, the very short pedicel similarly bi- 
bracteate ; sepals 5 to 6 mm. long, oblong-lanceolate, cuspidate, 
coriaceous, shining, plainly but not prominently few-nerved, scar- 
lous-margined ; inner sepals shorter, barely cuspidate ; stamens 6, 
nearly equalling the inner sepals, anthers when moist about 2.5 
mm. long by 1 mm. wide; ovary oblong, equalling the included 
style; stigmas 2 to 2.5 mm. long; capsule narrowly oblong, 
acute, 3-sided, exceeding the sepals by 1 mm. or less, rigid- 
coriaceous, 3-celled, valves spreading but slightly in dehiscence; 
seeds closely packed and misshapen, with a conspicuous raphe 
and short tails, body about 1 mm. long, oblong, reticulate, the 
areas themselves smooth or faintly reticulate, not lineolate. 
This rush is most nearly related to Engelmann’s Juncus acutus 
Spherocarpus (7. robustus, Wats.) and, less closely, to J. Re- 
merianus. It agrees with both in its stiff, erect, stem-like, 
pointed leaves, pseudo-lateral inflorescence, and glomerate flowers ; 
and differs from both in its simpler inflorescence and much larger 
flowers and fruit, from the former in its cuspidate sepals and nar- 
rower capsule, and from the latter in its rigid coriaceous sepals. 
Since making the observations on the Death Valley speci- 
mens, I have found in the National Herbarium, under the name 
J. compressus, a specimen of J. Cooferi, collected by C. R. Orcutt, 
in 1868, at Borrego Springs, Colorado Desert, California. It is 
Probable, therefore, that the species will be found more widely 
distributed in the deserts of southeastern California. Mr. 
S. B. Parish informs me that he has looked carefully for the plant 
at Camp Cady, its type locality, but has failed to find it. Dr. 
Cooper undoubtedly found the plant farther out in the desert 
than has been supposed, in some alkaline marsh. 
FREDERICK VERNON COVILLE. 
Botanical Notes. 
Aster undulatus, L. One of the ligulate florets from a plant 
of this species was found to have three well-developed style- 
branches, The branches were all alike and also like the style- 
branches of other ligulate florets. The stigmatic papillae were 
along their margins [as shown in I. 2 is the normal style of the 
ligulate floret and its branches]. 
