1921] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 469 



2. Mecardonia peduncularis (Benth.) Small. 



Herpestis peduncularis Benth. in Conipan. Bot. Mag. 2: 56. 1836. "Hab. 



Texas on the Rio Brazos, Drummond (v. s.)." Type not verified, but 



description sufficiently distinctive. 

 Mecardonia- viridis Small, Fl. S. E. Un. St. 1065, 1338. 1903. "Type, 



HeUer, PI. So. Tex., no. 1460, in Herb. C. U." Type, collected at Corpus 



Christi, Nueces Co., Texas, Mar. 14-21, 1894, seen in Herb. Columbia 



University at the New York Botanical Garden. 

 Mecardonia peduncularis (Benth.) Small, 1. c. 1065, 1338. 1903. 



Closely allied to the wide-spread Tropical Mecardonia procumhens 

 (Miller) Small, but apparently distinguishable by narrower outer 

 sepals and longer pedicels. M. tenuis Small of the Florida Keys 

 and the Bahamas seems to differ constantly from this in possess- 

 ing sepals 5-6 mm. long instead of 7-9 mm. long. 



Corolla yellow, within with longitudinal brown veins especially 

 on the posterior side. Flowering from March to May, and soon 

 ripening fruit ; lingering blossoming later, 



Sandy or clayey soil, prairie or open woodland, common on the 

 Coast Prairie of middle coastal Texas, frequent inland across the 

 Coastal Plain and along stream-courses entering the hills of the • 

 Edwards Plateau and the Burnet Metamorphic Region; ranges 

 from Walker and Brazoria to Burnet, Bexar and Duval counties, 

 Texas. 



Texas. Austin: Kenney, Pennell 10305 (M, T, Y); Walhs, 

 Pennell 10269 (C, P, U, Y). Bexar: Comanche Spring, Lind- 

 heimer 1054 (A, T, U, Y); San Antonio. Blanco: Blanco, Rev- 

 erchon 1574 (U). Brazoria: Columbia, Bush 134 (U, Y). Burnet: 

 Fairland, Pennell 10475 (A, H, K, Y). Marble Falls. Comal:" 

 Bracken; New Braunfels, Lindheimer 1055 (U, Y). Dewitt: 

 Cuero, Bray 127 (U). EHival: San Diego, Croft (U). Gillespie: 

 Jermy 168 () . Harris : Harrisburg, Pennell 10249 (H, Y) ; Houston, 

 Pennell 10247 (Y), 10252 (C, M, Y), 10260 (A, H, J, L, M, 0, P, 

 S, T, U, Y). Hays: San Marcos, Stanfield (Y). Kerr: Kerrville, 

 Pennell 10378 (Y). Lampasas: Lampasas, Plank (Y). Nueces: 

 Corpus Christi, Heller 1460 (A, U, Y). Travis: Barton Springs; 

 Shoal Creek, Young (T). Victoria: Victoria, Lewton 96 (U). 

 Walker: Huntsville, Young (T). 



2. GRATIOLA Linne. 

 Gratiola L., Sp. PI, 17. 1753. 

 Type species, G. officinalis L., of Europe. 

 Corolla slightly exceeding calyx, externally glabrous. Capsule 

 nearly pyramidal, acuminate. Pedicels very short. Leaves 



