21 



Fruit axillary, solitary, obovate, greenish black, invariably two- 

 seeded, on peduncles twice the length of the petiole. 



The specimen is without flowers, but appears to be new. We have 

 also another from Clear Lake, probably undescribed. 



Simmondsia pabulosa^ (Kellogg), Goat Nut. 



Descriptive Note by Dr. Vcatch. — An evergreen bush, or shrubby 

 tree, from three to six feet in height ; growing in the ravines as well as in 

 the crevices and fissures of nearly perpendicular cliffs. Trunk remark- 

 ably crooked, with short, zig-zag, joint-like bendings. Bark smooth 

 and whitish. Branches spreading horizontally from the summit ; much 

 entangled and partaking of the character of the stem. Foliage dense 

 and green ; leaves and young twigs somewhat succulent. The top 

 presents something of the appearance of a huge bunch of mistletoe. 



Fruit generally abundant, ripening in July and August ; has the 

 taste of a chestnut, with a slight bitterness. 



The goats and deer of the island are exceeding fond of both the 

 fruit and leaves, and seem to live mostly upon them. 



The shrub is ornamental, and deserves to be cultivated for its beauty 

 as well as for its fruit. The barren spots in which it thrives would 

 suggest its usefulness upon some of the barren and bleak hills of Upper 

 California, which are worthless from their strong and arid character, 

 but which might be valuable when planted with the Simmondsia. 



Specific Characters. — Branches opposite, nodose, greyish ; branch- 

 lets somewhat angled, greenish hoary, hirsute. 



Leaves opposite, oblong-ovate, ovate-lanceolate, sub-mucronate, ob- 

 tuse, and often a few leaves obovate-emarginate, somewhat cuneate at 

 base ; pale glaucous green above, fleshy, coriaceous, inconspicuously 

 three-nerved in growing state ; rigid wrinkled, often ochreous beneath 

 when dry, hirsute above and below ; sharpened entire margins, slightly 

 scabrnlose, on very short glandless hirsute petioles ; lamina varying 

 from one-half to one and one-half inches in length. 



Sterile flowers numerous in axillary dichotomous panicles, shorter 

 than the leaves, seldom sessile and solitary, or in small glomerules ; 

 common and particular pedicels bracted, each separate flower with a 

 minute ovate hirsute bract scale at the base. Petals imbricate, green- 

 ish, five in number, unguiculate, carinate ; apex obtuse, inflexed cili- 

 ate, somewhat erose-dentate, spreading, slightly villous within, hoary 

 villous hairs without, glandless ; stamens mostly ten, shorter than the 

 petals. 



Filaments shorter than the anthers, subulate from a broad base, 

 somewhat clustered in parcels of three or more, or imperfectly mona- 

 delphous, anthers erect, two celled, opening longitudinally. 



