elt a OI ae Lit = cig em a: af A 
REVISION OF EPILOBIUM. : 71 
my impression that the characters here admitted as of 
specific value are worthy of credence, and do not apply to 
mere forms or varieties, although the less differentiated 
species fall into groups, which some of the most conserva- 
tive botanists might justly treat as species consisting of 
fairly marked subspecies, in a monograph of the genus as 
a whole. 
Lpilobium differs from all other capsule-bearing Onagra- 
ceze except the Californian Zauschneria, in having its seeds 
provided with an ample coma at the apex. Z. paniculatum, 
which when dwarfed sometimes resembles large forms of 
Gayophytum, may therefore be distinguished by this 
character, as well as by its 4-celled fruit, even on superficial 
examination. The variety jucundum of the same species, 
which occasionally has been taken for Zauschneria, lacks 
the long colored Fuchsia-like tube above the ovary. 
While it reaches great development in New Zealand, 
Epilobium is essentially a genus of temperate and cold 
climates, and the most widely distributed species are those 
of arctic and alpine regions. In Alaska a few such species 
occur, which are otherwise confined to the adjacent part of 
Asia. More widely distributed arctic-alpine immigrants 
from the old world are spicatum, latifolium, palustre, 
Davuricum, glandulosum, Hornemanni, alpinum, and 
anagallidifolium. The only other old world species 
represented in our flora are hirsutum, parviflorum, and 
adnatum, all of which are accidental waifs, the first one 
only having obtained even a precarious foothold in this 
country. On the other hand, while the genus passes into 
South America along the backbone of the continent, few 
species extend very far across the Mexican boundary in 
either direction. 
The most interesting biological features of the genus are 
those connected with the means of vegetative propagation, 
pollination, and dissemination. 
The various contrivances by which most species survive 
the winter and are vegetatively propagated, have been so 
