620 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



Characters of New Genera and Species of Plants. By Asa Gray. 



BREWERINA Nov. Gen. Silenearum. 



Prseter stigmata terminalia capitellata et semina ovalia Arenaria 

 persimilis cum inflorescentia Hulostei. — Sepala 5, ovata, margine 

 scariosa. Petala 5, spathulata, cum staminibus 10 longius exsertae, 

 marcescentia. Discus perigynus staminifer brevissimua. Ovarium 

 uniloculare, 6 -8-ovulatum : styli 3, capillares, stigmatibus parvis 

 capitellatis terminati ! Ovula carapylotropa, in placenta basilari 

 brevi sessilia. Capsula ovato-globosa, Crustacea in valvulas, 3 mox 

 bifidas dehiscens. Semina abortu 2-4, ratione capsular magna, lato- 

 ovalia, a latere compressa, hilo marginali, micropyle rostellata ; 

 testa kevi laxa molli, nucleo conduplicato. — Herba basi ramosissima 

 sufFruticosa ; f'oliis acerosis; ramis floridis gracilibus simplicissimis 

 cyma densa umbelliformi terminatis ; bracteis involucrantibus brevibus 

 scariosis. 



Brewerina suffrutescens. — Sierra Nevada above Cisco, and 

 between Truckee and Donner Lake, California, coll. Bolander and 

 Kellogg. — Glabrous, the lower part of the stem and leaves minutely 

 glandular. Stems much branched and decidedly woody at base, the 

 plant forming broad matted tufts, a span or more high, leafy only at the 

 ends of these branches, from which rise simple flowering stems of the 

 season, a foot or less in height, slender, bearing a few pairs of leaves 

 separated by long internodes, of which the upper one terminated 

 by the inflorescence is 3 or 4 inches long. Leaves crowded on the 

 persistent branches, rigid, acerose, about an inch long, a quarter of a 

 line wide, mucronate; on flowering stems becoming shorter and with 

 scarious connate bases. Stipules none. Flowers about half the size of 

 those of Holosteum umbellatum, numerous and crowded in a solitary 

 umbelliform cluster, which is involucrate by a few short ovate-lanceo- 

 late scarious bracts : central and oldest pedicels very short ; the others 

 2 to 5 lines long. Sepals ovate, obtuse, herbaceous with scarious mar- 

 gins. Petals white, spatulate, between 2 and 3 lines long, about 

 twice the length of the calyx. Filaments filiform, equalling the petals. 

 Ovary globose. Capsule slightly exceeding the calyx. The seeds ex- 

 amined not perfectly mature, over a line in length, laterally compressed, 

 erect, completely sessile on the very 6hort columnar placenta ; the testa 



