244 Standley — The American Species of Fagonia, 



Recently the writer had occasion to determine several collec- 

 tions of this group. One of them seemed unlike any of the species 

 described by Dr. Rydberg, and upon examination of other 

 material in the herbarium several forms were found which seem 

 to merit description. It was discovered, besides, that Mr. T. S. 

 Brandegee has described a very remarkable species from Coahuila 

 within the present year. It seems worth while to prepare an 

 account of these newest discoveries and to coordinate them with 

 previously described species by a key. Only two species have 

 been described from South America and since they are closely 

 related to ours and we have herbarium material of both, tbey 

 may be included as well. 



The authors of the Kew Index considered that both Fagonia 

 californica and F. chilensis were synonymous with F. cretica of 

 the Old World. The most casual comparison of our plants 

 with Fagonia cretica compels a different conclusion. That 

 species has much larger flowers than any of the American ones, 

 its leaflets are larger, the pubescence different, the beak of the 

 fruit is conspicuously thickened at the base, a condition not 

 existing in the plants of the western world, while F. cretica is 

 much stouter than our plants that are nearest related to it. 

 Fagonia chilensis is almost like F. californica but the differences 

 are such that the two can be distinguished, and because of their 

 different ranges it seems as well to hold them apart. 



The writer is under obligations to Dr. Wm. Trelease who 

 courteously loaned him all the American material of the genus 

 in the herbarium of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 

 Leaves wanting; stipules triangular-subulate, not more than 1 nun. 



long; branches erect; sepals persistent 1. F. scoparia. 



Leaves present ; stipules subulate, averaging much more than 1mm. 

 long; branches spreading; sepals caducous. 



Leaflets 5 2. F. palmeri. 



Leaflets 3. 



Ovaries glabrous 11. F. laeris. 



Ovaries and mature fruit pubescent. 

 Pedicels twice as long as the fruit or more, glabrous or slightly 



scaberulous . . . 12. F. longipes. 



Pedicels not longer than the fruit, mostly shorter, or when 

 longer glandular. 

 Leaflets glabrous. 



