356 BOTANH I/. GAZE1 I I [November 



specimens of genuine T. vulgare from various points all over North 

 America in which the cusps are very long and slender, fully as 

 much so as in any Mexican material studied by me. De Candolle 

 himself was in doubt as to the validity of his species, even con- 

 fessing that it was too close to T. dens-leonis (T. vulgare) and was 

 perhaps only a variety. 26 Hemsley (Biol. Centr. Amer. 2:261. 

 1 881) regarded T. mexicanum as synonymous with our T. vulgare 

 (T. officinale), and my own observations are in thorough accord 

 with Hemsley's treatment. 



/". paradoxum Somes was admittedly a mere freak form of 

 T. vulgare. having the stem foliate with alternate leaves, not 

 scapose. The stems were bifurcate at the top. Lunell's T. minus 

 subscaposum was likewise a mere leafy stemmed form ("caulis 

 unifoliatus"). Such a form was not unknown before (cf. D. 

 McAlpine Bot. Atlas 1: pi. 25, figs. 6, ijb. 1883). 



5. Taraxacum laevigatum (Willd.) DC, Cat. Hort. Monspel. 

 149. 18 13; Leontodon laevigatas Willd.. Sp. PI. 3:1546. 1800; 

 T. erythrospermum Andrz. in Besser, Enum. PI. Volhyn., Podol., 

 etc., 75. 1822; L. erythrospermum Eichw., Naturhist. Skizze 

 Litth., Volhyn, etc., 150. 1830; L. erythrospermum Britton in 

 Britt. and Brown, Hi. Fl. N. Amer. ed. 2., 3:316. fig. 4064. 1913; 

 T. mexicanum Wooton and Standley, Fl. New Mex. 626. 191 5 

 (non DC). 



Fferba subgracilis, 5-30 cm. alta. Radix tenuiuscula, simplex 

 vel pluriceps, fusee corticata, collo foliorum vetustorum fragmentis 

 persistentibus magnus, plerumque pallide brunneis large squamato, 

 longe lanuginoso vel rarius glabro. Folia terrae adpressa vel 

 suberecta, glabra vel infra parce pilosula, lanceolata 0.5-4 (vel 

 serius etiam —11) cm. lata, versus basim plerumque longe angus- 

 tata, fere semper tota profunde incisa vel variis modis usque ad 

 nervum medium crebre pinnatisecta, lobis latis angustisve, pler- 

 umque acutis, integris vel largius et tenuiter dentatis, plus minusve 

 reflexis, interiectis saepe lobulis dentiformibus, lobo terminal! 

 lateralibus paulo maiore vel etiam interdum minore. Scapi 

 singuli vel numerosi, subtenues, erecti vel e basi procumbente 

 adscendentes, floriferi foliis breviores vel longiores, serius plus 



26 "Nimis T. Denti-leonis affine et forte varietas," DC, toe. cit. 



