118 I. M. JOHNSTON 



Galium Aparine L. Moist shaded ground in the lower portions of the Transition 

 Zone. 



Galium siccalum Wight. (?) We very doubtfully place here the common Galium 

 of the pine belt. The plant is very common in dry rocky ground throughout 

 the Transition Zone, reaching its maximum elevation at 8700 ft. alt. on On- 

 tario Peak Summit. 



Our plant is not "suffrutescent" nor is it "branched and bushy." It is 

 a tufted perennial with the low (under two decimeters in height), erect, her- 

 baceous stems unbranched. The other characters of the plant agree very 

 well with G. siccalum as described, but its reference to this species is, how- 

 ever, very unsatisfactory. In recent years this same plant has been referred 

 to G. multiflorum Kell. (Nos. 1262, 1591, 1615.) 



Galium angustifolium Nutt. A very interesting form of this species is common in 

 the lower portion of the pine belt and higher parts of the chaparral belt on 

 the south side of Cucamonga and Ontario Peaks. Due, no doubt, to the ef- 

 fects of frost the plants have developed a base of the slender woody stems. 

 From this base the annual growth of unbranched stems arise two or three 

 decimeters. This habit of growth is very different from the taller and very 

 bushy plant of the mesas at the foot of the mountain. We have observed this 

 low form only between 5000 and 7000 ft. alt. (No. 1483.) 



Galium sp. An undescribed species of the G. multiflorum group is locally abun- 

 dant in gravelly ground, 5000-5700 ft. alt., at the lower edge of the pine belt 

 in Coldwater Fork Lytle Creek. It was collected at this same station by Dr. 

 Hall. (No. 1227). 



The plant is characterized bj' its long reclining woody stems, its peculiar 

 light color, the very harsh scabrous pubescence, the large semibaccate, 

 densely hirsute fruit and especially by its short lateral branches that bear 

 only a few flowers on their drooping tips. (Nos. 1667, 2067.) 



CAPRIFOLIACE^E 



Sambucus glauca Nutt. var. velutina (D. & H.) Johnston, comb. nov. (S. velulina 

 D. & H.) Frequent in moist ground in the Upper Transition Zone. 



S. velutina was originally described as having pubescent leaves. Our plants 

 of it, however, are very variable in respect to pubescence. We have noted 

 all gradiations between forms with a dense soft short pubescence and forms 

 entirely glabrous, the latter state being far the more common. The cymes of 

 our plant are very large, being 2-2.5 dm. wide. This fact, coupled with the 

 shrubby growth and larger leaves, serves very well to distinguish this variety 

 from the species. The fruit has a very decided bloom, thus making it impos- 

 sible to refer our plant to that uncertain species, S. mexicana Presl. (Nos. 

 1537, 1549.) 



Symphoricarpus Parishii Rydb. Locally abundant in scattered stations. The 

 stations are as follows, Coldwater Fork Lytle Creek, Upper Transition Zone, 

 alt. 7000 ft., in springy ground with Salix flavescens and Prunus de?nissa. 

 South Fork Lytle Creek, Lower Transition Zone, alt. 6000 ft. as a weak pros- 

 trate shrub under the pines with Pyrola and Streplanthus. South spur of 

 Cucamonga Peak, alt. 8000 ft. and on the west end of Ontario Peak, alt. 7000 



