178 Univcrsllii of Californ'in I'liblicdtloiis i)i Hotaiiij | V'<>i.. 7 



b.T :]. 1917, 11. :\I. 11.. n... 10642 (ITcrl). Tiiiv. Calif, no. 203068), type. 

 This is the coiiiiiioii fonn on alkaline fiats in soutiici'n Mono County 

 and in Inyo County. California, and in wcslci'ii Esmeralda County, 

 Nevada. al1liou;:li there ai'e many slii^lit variations from tin- type as 

 dcscrilnd above. Almost evciy valley exhibits forms not exactly like 

 those in any other. The variations are chiefly in liabit, ])ubescence. 

 leafiness, size and shaj)e of iiiHorescenee, shape of biaets, and Icnjrth 

 of corolla-lobes. The plants range in height from a few dm. to nearly 

 3 m., but are always taller than broad unless abnormal ; the corollas 

 vary from 8 to 10 n]]n. in total length ; the corolla-lobes are seldom 

 shorter than 2 mm., yet in two eolh ctions there are some flowers with 

 lobes oidy 1.7 mm. long; although the iiivolucres of the ty])e are only 

 6 to 7 mm. long, they vary in other specimens to 8 or even 9 mm. ; 

 the mature papus is 7 to 9 mm. long. A dwarf form of the alkali 

 flats of Antelope A'alle\- is referred here provisionally. It has flexuous 

 stems, short rounded inflorescences and exceptionally small flowers 

 (eommoul}' 6 or 7 in a head), but the flowers, although reduced in size, 

 have the narrow elongated and spreading lobes of viriduluft. More 

 nearly typical specimens have been gathered in the San Antonio 

 Mountains at an altitude of 8000 feet, I. ^I. Johnston, no. 1706. 



As to relationships, viridulus is probably a southwestern derivative 

 of cojisimilis (or vice versa), from which it ditfers in the larger 

 corollas with longer lobes, the thicker, more robust and rigid twigs 

 and leaves, the heavier and more rounded inflorescence, and the 

 stronger odor of the herbage. These characters are far from constant 

 at all stations. The length of corolla-lobe is the most satisfactory. 

 Of twenty-seven collections taken throughout the established range 

 of the variety, ojdy five have corolla-lobes 2 mm. or less long ; of 

 twenty-two collections from the range of coif^iiiiiJifi none exhibit 

 corolla-lobes of over 2 mm. in length : where the ranges meet as 

 ai'ound ]\Iono Lake and at Sodaville, Nevada, intermediate sizes are 

 frecpient and. here the other differentiating characters also intergrade. 

 The very long corolla-lobes serve as a certain means of distinguishing 

 viridulus from all other varieties except consiniilis, occid( ntalis, 

 htriKirdiuK.'i, and an occasional mohavensis. 



