404 RUSSELL— A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF 



F. Douglasii, F. rosea, and F. alba. L. sulphurea he considers synonymous 

 with L. Douglasii. According to him L. pumila and L. versicolor are 

 varietal forms of L. Douglasii. 



The most stable species of the two genera composing this family 

 (Limnanthaceae), accepted generally by all, are as follows: 



LlMNANTHACEAE 



1 Floerkea 



(a) Floerkea proserpinacoides. 

 var. F. occidentalis. 



2 Limnanthes. 



(a) Limnanthes Douglasii. 



var. L. sulphurea. 

 var. L. pumila. 

 var. L. versicolor. 



(b) Limnanthes rosea. 



(c) Limanthes alba. 



(d) Limnanthes Macounii. 



Distribution or Species 



It will be seen from Robert Brown's key to the family that the two 

 distinctions between the genera are that Limnanthes is a form with 

 pentamerous symmetry, and is western in distribution, while Floerkea 

 is a trimerous form, given as purely eastern in distribution. At that 

 time L. Douglasii was the only species of Limnanthes known. There 

 are, however, several other pentamerous forms, having a distribution 

 identical with that of L. Douglasii, which have been described more 

 recently. These pentamerous forms of Limnanthes have a purely western 

 distribution — viz. California, Oregon, Washington (1). 



There is a form of Limnanthes showing tetramerous symmetry de- 

 scribed as Limnanthes Macounii (Trel. Mem. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. 4, 

 85, 1887). Its distribution is restricted apparently to Vancouver Island, 

 British Columbia (5) (1). But the discovery of a tetramerous form of 

 Limnanthes is noteworthy, forming as it does a link connecting the pen- 

 tamerous western forms with the trimerous Floerkea. 



There is a species of Floerkea described by Rydberg as Floerkea 

 occidentalis, resembling Floerkea proserpinacoides in all essentials, dif- 

 fering from it by a slight reduction in size of its parts as compared with 

 F. proserpinacoides. It is probably a starved, or feeble form of F. pro- 



