70 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



Melinia angustifolia. Fere glabra, subvolubilis ; caulibus fili- 

 formibus ; foliis angustissime linearibus petiolatis ; pedunculis brevibus 



basi rotundatis. — Rock Spring, Providence Mountains, S. E. California, Palmer, 

 1876. — Belongs, with the preceding and tlie following, to the Oturia section of 

 Kuntli and Decaisne ; but with a pecuhar hoot!, not unlike that of A. Cuii/teri 

 (infra) and certainly much like that of the original Anantherix. The crest is 

 produced at its internal angle into the horn which is the distinguishing mark 

 of Ascle/ikts. 



■M- ++ Folliculi in pedicellis recurvis patulisve penduli vel patentes : caules elati 

 junciformes, foliis subulato-fihformibus delapsis nudi : cucullis panduratis 

 erectis antheras longius superantibus: processu cristjeformi adnato intus bre- 

 vissime cornuto. 



A. SUBULATA, Decaisne in DC. 1. c. ; Torr. in Pacif. R. Rep. v. 3iJ2, t. 7. — 

 This remarkable Asdepius of the S. Californian and Arizonian desert appears 

 to be tiie Mexican species briefly described by Decaisne; but a comparison of 

 specimens should be maile. 



•M- ++ ++ Folliculi (tamquam noti) in pedicellis adscendentibus erecti, stepius 

 fusifornies. 



= Folia lata plerumque quaterna : flores roseo-albi. 



A. QUADRiFOLiA, L. A pretty species, with the middle leaves almost always 

 in whorls of four. 



= = Folia lata vel latiuscula opposita, nee vertieillata: flores parvi albi. 



A. PERENNis, Walt. A. parviflora, Ait., published one year later. A. dehilis, 

 Michx , partly confused with A. qiiudnfolid, to which the "Obs." relates. 

 Towards its northern limits this species conimonl}- wants the coma to the seeds. 

 — Var. PAKVULA is a low and remarkably small-leaved form of the species, 

 from \V. Texas, mentioned by Torrey in Bot. Mex. Bound. 104. — The two 

 following related species are not known to occur within the United States; and 

 the last by its narrow leaves would belong to the next division. They are 

 introduced in reference to the synonymy. 



A. xivEA, L. (n(jn herb., but {\\q Apocipium Pevsicnrm j)u7('s, etc., Dill. Elth. 

 t. 29, and A. Ainericannm, etc., Plum. t. iiO, on which the species was founded), 

 Griseb. Fl. W. Ind. 419, excl. syn. Bot. Mag. (which belongs to A.pIi'/toluiToides), 

 is West Indian, and probably not in Louisiana, to which Grisehach credits it. 

 It is distinguislied from A. )>eren>iiti by the greenish-white corolla, longer hoods 

 with shorter horn, and an undulation near the base of the anther-wings, at least 

 when dry. 



A. viRGATA, Lagasca, Gen. & Spec. 14, is Mexican, and resembles the pre- 

 ceding in the flowers; but the petals are wiiite, or sometimes rose-iinled (as 

 in Brit. Fl. Gard. ser. 2, t. 8.5), the anther-wings plane, and the leaves linear or 

 linear-lanceolate and less petioled. From Kunth's character (but not that of 

 Decaisne) it may be the A. Unifolia, HBK. I have seen only cultivated speci- 

 mens, under the name of A. angustifolia and of A. linearis. 



===== Folia angusta sen angustissima (elongato lanceolata ad lineari-fili- 

 formia), in sp. nonnuUis vertieillata, in unica alterna. 



