Piper — Notes on Quamasia with Description of New Species. 81 



Washington and Oregon, western Montana, but also occurs sparingly 

 west of the Cascade Mountains from Vancouver Island to northern Cali- 

 fornia, and in Utah. It prefers low flat land of heavy clay texture and 

 often occurs in bottoms that are overflowed in spring. 



The material in the National Herbarium seems very consistent except 

 in the matter of the venation of the perianth segments. Most of the 

 material from Idaho has all the perianth segments 3-nerved, as has the 

 original specimen collected by Lewis at " Quamash Prairie" or Weippe, 

 Idaho. Tlie same is true of most of the specimens from Montana, Wash- 

 ington and Utah. 



On the other hand, many of the specimens from Washington and 

 Montana and two from northern California have the perianth segments 

 either all 5-nerved or with an occasional one 3-nerved. In some of the 

 specimens the segments seem to be alternately 3-nerved and 5-nerved in 

 every flower. 



No other characters have been detected connected with that of the 

 nervation of the perianth segments, but these should be sought for both 

 in flowering and fruiting specimens by those who have opportunity to 

 study the matter in the field. 



Quamasia walpolei n. sp. 



Bulbs ovoid, 2.5-3 cm. long, 1-2 cm. thick; leaves linear, flat, 20-25 

 cm. long, 5-10 mm. broad, many nerved, green above, paler or somewhat 

 glaucous beneath; scapes strictly erect, 30-50 mm. high, smooth, pale 

 green; bracts subulate, somewhat scarious, shorter than the buds but 

 longer than the pedicels, the lowermost one or two below the inflorescence ; 

 raceme dense, even in fruit, 15-30 flowered, narrow, spike-like, 10-15 cm. 

 long; pedicels all of nearly equal length, erect or becoming so, 5-8 mm. 

 long; perianth segments linear-lanceolate, pale blue, 10-13 mm. long, the 

 outer 3-nerved, the inner 5-nerved, persistent, each twisting separately 

 after anthesis, apparently irregularly disposed, one spreading downward, 

 the others upward; capsules 6-8 mm. long and nearly as broad, obtusely 

 angled, strongly few nerved; seeds slightly obpyriform, black, shiny, 3 

 mm. long. 



Closely allied to Q. quamash (Pursh) Coville, but readily distinguished 

 by its dense raceme, more numerous smaller flowers, short subequal 

 pedicels and smaller capsules. It is a pleasure to dedicate the interesting 

 species to the late Mr. F. A. Walpole. 



All of the specimens examined are from southwestern Oregon : 



Hood River, Klamath Indian Reservation, F. A. Walpole, No. 2218, 

 June 22, 1902, in flower (type) ; Fort Klamath, F. A. Walpole, No. 2251, 

 July 25, 1902, in fruit; Klamath Valley, Dr. H. M. Cronkhite, Nos. 16 

 and 48, in 1864; Kean Creek, Jackson County, Elmer I. Applegate, No. 

 2302, May 25, 1898; Roseburg, W. C. Cusick, No. 4026. 



According to Mr. F. V. Coville camas bulbs are gathered in abundance 

 on the Klamath Indian Reservation. So far as the National Herbarium 

 specimens disclose only Quamasia walpolei grows in that area, so this 

 species must apparently be edible. 



