LlMNORCHIS AND PlPERIA NORTH OF MEXICO 



641 



i 



cm. 



long 



I cm. 



long, 



spike very dense, 5-15 cm. long: flowers about 



long ; 



greenish : upper sepal ovate, about 4 mm. 



lateral ones oblong-lanceolate, obtuse : petals lanceolate, acute ; 

 blade of the lip ovate, obtuse, scarcely hastate, obtuse or truncate 

 at base ; spur filiform, about two and a half times as long as the 



lip and a third longer than the ovary. 



Type 



) 



: "Open hills, under oaks, etc., from near Livermore 



southward." 



California: San Luis county, 1886, G. W. Michael; Stans- 

 bury Valley, 1876, Harry Edwards; San Francisco, 1838-42, 

 Wilkes Expedition, iJJ-f, in part ; " California," Bolandcr. 



Washington: Gray's Harbor, 1838-42, Wilkes Expedition, 

 1554, m P art J Nesqually River, 146, in part. 



9/Piperia maritima (Greene) 



Hab 



1892. 



Stem stout, 2-3 dm. high, at flowering time leafless : tuber 

 almost spherical, 2-2.5 cm. in diameter: leaf-blades oblong, 

 obtuse or acute, about 1 dm. long, 

 3-4 cm. wide, withering before anthe- 

 sis ; stem leaves reduced and bract- 

 like, numerous, ovate-lanceolate, acu- 

 minate, 1-2 cm. long : spike short and 

 very dense, 4-10 cm. long; bracts 

 about two-thirds as long as the flow- 

 ers : these 10-12 mm. long, white: 

 upper sepal ovate, obtuse, about 4 

 mm. long ; lateral sepals oblong-lance- 

 olate : petals broadly lanceolate ; blade 

 of the lip elliptic, obtusish, scarcely 

 hastate, somewhat truncate at the base, 

 as well as the petals and sepals, white, thin ; spur filiform, about 

 2.5 times as long as the lip and longer than the ovary. (Fig. 34.) 



This differs from all the other species in its stoutness and 

 white flowers. It resembles most P. Michadi in habit, the short 

 spike, numerous scale-like stem leaves and the absence of root 



leaves at the time of flowering. 



Type: "On dry hills near the sea at Point Lobos, near San 



Fig. 34. 



Fr 



rancisco. 



% I 



1 Hi 



<$• Bioletti. 



