Vol. 31, pp. 101-104 July 10, 1918 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THK 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 





TWO NEW MANZANITAS FROM THE SIERRA NEVADA 



OF CALIFORNIA. 



BY C. HART MERRIAM. 



The manzanitas of the Ponderosa Pine belt of the west flank 

 of the Sierra Nevada, notwithstanding their abundance and 

 conspicuousness, have been surprisingly slow in claiming the 

 attention of botanists, and two of the most widespread species — 

 viscida and wianzanita, both of which occur also in the inner 

 coast ranges north of San Francisco Bay — remained unnamed 

 until 1887, when they were described by Parry ; while patula of 

 Greene escaped until 1891, and mariposa of Dudley until 1892. 

 Even at this late day two additional strongly marked species 

 from the same region appear to have eluded the keen eyes of 

 botanists. One of these, the one here named mewukka after the 

 Mewuk Indians of the region, has a wide range from Mariposa 

 County to Nevada County and has been known to me for many 

 years; the other, named nissenana after the Nissenan Indians 

 (one of the southern divisions of the Midu stock), seems to be 

 rare. I discovered it in August, 1907, on a low ridge southwest 

 of American Flat, about midway between Placerville and 

 Georgetown, in Eldorado County. It appears to belong to the 

 canescens group, but differs rather strikingly in the character of 

 bark, which, instead of being smooth and polished, is fibrous. 



The two new species may be known from the following de- 

 scriptions: 



Arctostaphylos mewukka sp. nov. 

 (Plates II and III) 



A strong erect shrub \%-2 meters high, with slender smoothly polished 

 dark purple branches, longish, pointed leaves of dull grayish green, long 



28— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash.. Vol. 31. 1918. (101 ) 



