1923] Ottleij: A Bevision of the Calif ornian Species of Lotus 209 



8. L. rigidus Greene (pi, 69, figs. 2-8). Erect from a woody, per- 

 ennial taproot ; branches long, coarse, and stiff, with long internodes 

 and few small leaves; pubescence scanty, of short, white, appressed 

 hairs, the old stem and leaves becoming glabrate, the calyces with less 

 appressed and more abundant pubescence ; stipules gland-like ; leaflets 

 3 to 5 (when 5, leaves clearly pinnate), linear-oblong, obtuse at apex, 

 often cuneate at base, variable in length; umbels 2 to 3-flowered; 

 peduncles long, sometimes as much as 12 cm. ; bract when present 

 commonly of one small leaflet ; flowers 1.3 to 2.5 cm. long, in general 

 appearance like those of L. grand iflorus Greene ; calyx nearly one-half 

 as long as corolla, with its broad subulate teeth one-fourth to one-half 

 the length of the tube or rarely almost equaling it in length; pods 

 glabrate, shiny, straw-color, terete, 2 to 5 cm. long, 3 to 5 mm. wide, 

 abruptly short beaked, the beak of same color as the pod ; seeds many, 

 globose, finely granulose. 



Reaches its highest development in the desert regions of south- 

 eastern California, whence it extends east into Arizona and Utah and 

 southwest into Lower California. In the latter region the plants 

 often have reddish brown, pubescent pods which are less than 3 mm. 

 in width. Distribution Map 3. March-June. 



Localities. — Shepherd Canon, Argus Mountains, Inyo County, 

 CoviUe and Funston (U.C. Herb.), duplicate of type of Lotus argensis 

 Coville ; Shepherd Caiion, Argus Mountains, HaU and Chandler 7064 ; 

 rocky slopes, Argus Mountains, Purpiis 5434, 5737 ; Pleasant Caiion, 

 Panamint Mountains, Inyo County, Hall and Chandler 6944; New 

 York Mountains, eastern San Bernardino County, Parish 10304; 

 Providence Mountains, T. S. Brandegee, May 25, 1902; Cottonwood 

 Mountain, Colorado Desert, Schellenger 60 ; eastern base of San 

 Jacinto Mountains, border of Colorado Desert, Hall 1844, 2124, 

 "good match for type of HosacTxia rigida Benth., but leaflets some- 

 what broader in the type. ' ' Jepson '06, Kew Herb. ; border of Colorado 

 Desert at Agua Caliente, San Diego County, Parish Bros. 14 ; Coyote 

 Canon, Hall 2841 ; Palm Canon, Jepson 1382 ; Palm Springs, Parish 

 6147 ; near Toro Mountain, eastern slope, San Jacinto Reserve, Leiherg 

 3177; San Felipe, T. 8. Brandegee, April 16, 1895, and April 6, 1901 ; 

 Lower San Felipe Valley, Jepson 8723 ; Vallecito, San Diego County, 

 Jepson 8586 ; Box Canon, eastern San Diego County, Jepson 8657. 

 Lower California: Valledros Creek, T. 8. Brayidegee, May 29, 1893. 

 Arizona : High mountains, I^owell, W. F. Parish 38 ; Valley of the 

 Colorado, Palmer 75 ; Sabina Caiion, Tourney 583, 585 ; Sabina Canon, 

 Zuck, April 4, 1896; Pagumpa, Jones 5095f; Verde River, 8mart 155 

 in part (U.S. Nat. Herb.) ; Gila Caiion, Mohr 263; Kingman, Wooton, 

 March 11, 1912. 



References. — Lotus rigidtts Greene, Pitt., vol. 2, 1890, p. 142. 

 Hosackia rigida Benth., PI. Hartw., 1848, p. 305, according to Greene, 

 loc. cit., "founded on a specimen of Coulter said to have come from 

 Monterey ; but the only plants answering well to the description are 

 from the extreme south of the state and the peninsula beyond." 

 Anisolotus rigidus Rydb., Bull. Torr. Club, vol. 33, 1906, p. 144. 

 Lotus argensis Coville in Contrib. U.S. Nat. Herb., vol. 4, 1893 (p. 83, 

 type loc. Shepherd Caiion, Argus Mountains, Inyo County, Coville 



