344 COMPOSITE. Blennosperma. 



Crocidium, to which this anomalous genus is perhaps most related.) Low and 

 small annuals, of two species, one Chilian, the other Californian. Less. Syn. 

 267 ; Torr. & Gray, Fl. ii. 272 ; Remy in Gay, Fl. Chil. iv. t. 48 ; Benth. & 

 Hook. Gc.ii. ii. 404. Apalus^ DC. Prodr. v. 507. Coniolhele, DC. 1. c. 531. 



B. Califoraicum, TORR. & GRAY, 1. c. A span or two high, at length diffusely branched, 

 glabrous or nearly so, with pedunculate heads terminating the branches: leaves alternate, 

 pinuatelv parted into narrowly linear usually entire lobes: heads a third to half inch in 

 diameter when expanded : flowers pale yellow, with ligules 2 or 3 lines long, or the alternate 

 ones sometimes destitute of corolla : disk-flowers shorter than the involucre : style-branches 

 of fertile flowers broad. Contofhele Califuniica, DC. Prodr. v. 531. Moist ground, Upper 

 Sacramento to San Diego, California : fl. summer ; first coll. by Douglas. 



157. ACTINELLA, Pers., Nutt. (Changed from Actinea, from <W ? , 

 ray.) Low herbaceous or rarely suffruticose plants (all American) ; the herbage 

 usually impressed-punctate and often resinous-atomiferous, bitter-aromatic, gener- 

 erally Chamomile-scented ; leaves all alternate and narrow or with narrow lobes ; 

 the heads of yellow flowers commonly slender-pedunculate. Pers. Syn. ii. 469 

 (Actinea, Juss. Ann. Mus. Par. ii. 425, t. 61, a S. American form, somewhat 

 approaching Helenium, but not to be combined with Cephalophora, which is a re- 

 duced rayless Heleniuni) ; Nutt. Gen. ii. 173, & Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. n. ser. 

 vii. 378 ; Torr. & Gray, Fl. ii. 381 ; Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. xix. 31. Hymenoxys, 

 Cass. Diet. Iv. 278 ; DC. Prodr. v. 661. Actinella, Hymenoxys, and a part of 

 Cephalopkora, Benth. & Hook. Gen. ii. 413-415. 



A. (Pr.ATEir.EMA) PALMERI, Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. xviii. 109, xix. 31, is an outlying species, 

 of Northern Mexico, remarkable for its few and broad and nearly herbaceous iuvolucral bracts, 

 convex receptacle, and truncate laciniate palece of the pappus. 



1. ETACTINELLA. Involucre of numerous herbaceous or nearly membrana- 

 ceous (not rigid) nearly equal and similar bracts, distinct to the base: receptacle 

 obtusely conical or hemispherical : heads mostly solitary on long or scapiform 

 peduncles, rarely sessile in the cluster of leaves : rays inclined to persist and turn 

 pale : akenes silky-villous : pappus of 5 to 7 hyaline paleae. Gray, 1. c. 



* Winter annual or at most biennial, caulescent, entire-leaved: receptacle conical. 



A. linearifolia, TORR. GRAY. Slender, a span to a foot high, sometimes strict and nearly 

 simple, generally diffusely branched, villous-pubescent and glabrate : leaves linear or the 

 lowest somewhat spatulate : peduncles filiform, a span long: head 3 lines high: rays 4 linos 

 long: palccE of the pappus ovate, abruptly acuminatc-awned. Fl. ii. 3S3. Hi/menoxi/s 

 linearifolia, Hook. Ic. t. 146; DC. Prodr. vii. 243. Texas and borders of Louisiana, in 

 sandy soil ; first coll. by Drummond. (Adj. Mcx.) 



* * Perennials, mostly with multicipital caudex, commonly Innate in the axils of the radical leaves. 



-H- Leaves except in one form of the first fpecies quite entire, all on the crowns of the caudex, 

 whicii bear a simple scapiform peduncle (or none): receptacle obtusely or low conical: involucre 

 villous-lauate: paletc of the pappus hyaline from broadly ovate to oblong, mostly traversed by 

 an indistinct costa. and usually produced at apex into an awn: well-formed heads 4 to 6 lines 

 hi,4'li, and rays as long. 



A. scaposa, NKTT. In the typical form somewhat like the preceding in aspect, especially 

 when leafy along the base of the scape, loosely villous and glabrate, rather sparsely cu?spitose, 

 the branches of the caudex being slender and often ascending : leaves linear to lanceolate or 

 some of the earlier ones spatulate, not rarely laciniate-lobed : scape a span to a foot high. 

 Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. 1. c. ; Torr. Gray, Fl. ii. 382. Ceplialophom (Actinella) scaposa, 

 DC. Prodr. v. 663. Gai//(inl,'>f I!ti'iHtriitini, Scheele in Linn. xxii. 161. A. lantiyinoxti, 

 Buckley in Proc. Acad. Philad. 1861, 459. Rocky prairies, &c., Texas to New Mexico ; first 

 coll. by Berlandier. (Adj. Mex.) 



