286 Co7itributions to Western Botany. [zoe 



son of my many specimens from Southern and also Eastern Utah and 

 Colorado shows that the distinctions relied upon by Watson to sep- 

 arate the two species are valueless, while the "mephitic' odor was 

 doubtless due to the animal rather than the vegetable kingdom. 



The following characters will fit my suites of specimens. Leaves 

 i^ inches long, from rhomboidal obovate to spatulate, acute, apicu- 

 late or retuse: stipules persistent or caducous, the larger ones i inch 

 long, ovate, obtuse, and persistent, the smaller ones Yi inch long, 

 ovate-lanceolate, abruptly contracted into a long acumination and 

 caducous; stems none to 4 inches long; petioles 2 to 6 inches long; 

 peduncles shorter than the leaves; bracts ovate, scarious, obtuse to 

 abruptly contracted and with a long acumination, equaling the sca- 

 rious, inflated calyx and blue and white petals; calyx lobes linear to 

 lanceolate, acute or long acuminate; spikes i to 3 inches long; pe- 

 duncles I to 4 inches long and stout; pods lanceolate, glabrous below 

 the middle and long villous above it; roots very deep and apparently 

 tuberous, but really woody and all connected underground; whole 

 plant densely pubescent, with short or long hairs, upper side of 

 leaves less so or glabrous. Grows in patches either in sandy places 

 or on rocky slopes in dry places; flowers in May. 



Astragalus. Doubtless many have had much difiiculty in de- 

 termining species in this genus from the flowers alone; at least I 

 have found it exasperatingly so, and, as the pods are often not 

 to be had when the flowers are seen, and as the flowers have been 

 almost ignored, I began some years ago to study the flowers with 

 a view to determine if they had any specific value, and with good 

 results; how good cannot yet be determined fully. 



I find that the arching of the banner and its shape are valuable, 

 the shape of the sulcus in the banner, the shape of the white spot 

 on the banner in a general way, and the backward folding of the 

 sides of the banner are valuable; the shape and length, as well as 

 the position of the wings, are valuable. Often the wings are con- 

 cave to the keel or flat, horizontal, or arched upwards, connivent 

 over the keel or with the blade edgewise to it, and so like the out- 

 spread wings of insects. The shape of the keel, its arching and 

 tip, are also of value in separating species. I find little or no diffi- 

 culty in separating species by these characters in conjunction with 

 the leaves. Whether they are of value in making sections I doubt, 



