POPPY FAMILY 225 



2. MECONELLA Nutt. in Torr. & Gray, Fl. N. Amer. 1 : 64. 1838. 



(Platystigma Benth. 1834. Not R. Br. 1832.) 



Low slender annuals with opposite leaves. Sepals 3, rarely 2. Petals 6, rarely 4, de- 

 ciduous. Stamens 6-12, or sometimes numerous, the filaments filiform or nearly so. 

 Ovary 1 -celled, with 3 parietal placentae, somewhat 3-lobed or nearly terete; stigma ovoid 

 to subulate. Capsule 3-valved, dehiscent through the placentae. [Name Greek, meaning 

 a little poppy.] 



A genus of 4 species, natives of Pacific North America. Type species, Meconella oregana Nutt. 



Leaves all basal; peduncles scapose; capsule obovoid. 1« M. linearis. 

 Leaves basal and on the slender branches; capsule linear. 

 Stamens 4-6, in one series; petals 4-5 mm. long. 



Anthers much shorter than the filaments, less than 0.5 mm. long. 2. M. oregana. 



Anthers nearly equaling the filaments. 3. M. denticulata. 



Stamens 12, rarely 8, in two series; petals 8-10 mm. long. 4. M. cahformca. 



1. Meconella linearis (Benth.) A. Nels & Macbr. Narrow-leaved 



Meconella. Fig. 1884. 



Platystigma lineare Benth. Trans. Hort. Soc. Lond. II. 1: 407. 1835. 

 Hesperomecon lineare Greene, Pittonia 5: 146. 1903. 

 Meconella linearis A. Nels. & Macbr. Bot. Gaz. 61: 31. 1916. 



Plants acaulescent or nearly so, hirsute with spreading hairs. Leaves all basal, linear, 2-8 

 cm. long; peduncles scape-like, 6-25 cm. high; petals obovate, 5-15 mm. long, cream-colored or 

 often lemon yellow at base; stamens many; filaments linear or dilated; capsule obovoid or 

 clavate-obovoid, somewhat 3-lobed ; stigma triangular-lanceolate. 



Grassy slopes, Upper Sonoran and Transition Zones; Siskiyou County, California, southward, chiefly in the 

 coastal region, to Santa Barbara, California. Type locality: California. March-May. 



Meconella linearis var. pulch611a (Greene) Jepson, Fl. Calif. 556 1922 Outer petals lemon yellow 

 the inner cream-colored. This seems to be no more than a color form and scarcely worthy of varietal rank, it 

 was first collected at Fort Ross and has been found as far south as the Tehachapi Mountains, California. 



2. Meconella oregana Nutt. Oregon Meconella. Fig. 1885. 



Meconella oregana Nutt. in Torr. & Gray, Fl. Amer. 1 : 64. 1838. 



Platystigma oreganum Benth. & Hook, ex Brewer & Wats. Bot. Calif. 1 : 20. 1876. 



Platystemon oreganus Curran, Proc. Calif. Acad. II. 1: 242. 1888. 



Plants glabrous, 3-12 cm. high, with slender, spreading branches. Basal leaves subulate or 

 obovate, short-petioled, 8-20 mm. long, the upper sessile and shorter; peduncles very slender, 

 elongated; petals 4-6, 3-5 mm. long, white; anthers scarcely 0.5 mm. long, much shorter than 

 the filaments; capsule linear, often twisted, 15-20 mm. long. 



Open places in moist sandy or gravelly soil, Humid Transition Zone; British Columbia to southern Oregon. 

 Type locality: near the mouth of Willamette River, Oregon. April-May. 



3. Meconella denticulata Greene. Small-flowered Meconella. Fig. 1886. 



Meconella denticulata Greene, Bull. Calif. Acad. 2: 59. 1886. 

 Platystigma denticulatum Greene, Bull. Torrey Club 13: 218. 1886. 

 Meconella kakoethes Fedde, Rep. Nov. Spec. 3: 275. 1907. 

 Meconella oregana var. denticulata Jepson, Fl. Calif. 559. 1922. 



Slender glabrous annual, 10-25 cm. high, with slender spreading branches and elongated, 

 almost filiform peduncles. Basal leaves 25-40 mm. long, spatulate, with elongated winged 

 petioles, the upper mostly linear and sessile; petals white, 3-4 mm. long; stamens 6, in one series; 

 anthers 1 mm. long, about equaling the filaments ; capsule narrowly linear, often twisted, 25-35 

 mm. long. 



Moist shady banks, Upper Sonoran Zone; California Coast Ranges from Monterey County to San Diego 

 County. Type locality: Temecula Canyon, San Diego County, California. March-May. 



4. Meconella californica Torr. California Meconella. Fig. 1887. 



Meconella californica Torr. in Frem. Second Rep. 312. 1845. 



Platystigma calif ornicum Benth. & Hook, in Brewer & Wats. Bot. Calif. 1: 20. 1876. 



Platystemon Torreyi Greene, Fl. Fran. 283. 1892. 



Meconella octandra Greene, Pittonia 5: 142. 1903. 



Meconella collina Greene, Pittonia 5: 143. 1903. 



Meconella oregana var. californica Jepson, Fl. Calif. 559. 1922. 



Slender erect branching annual, 1-2 dm. high. Basal leaves spatulate, 10-25 mm. long, with 

 winged petioles, the upper shorter, oblanceolate to linear; petals cream-colored, oblong to nar- 

 rowly obovate, 5-10 mm. long; stamens 12 in two unequal series; anthers much shorter than 

 the filaments; capsules linear, twisted when mature, 15-35 mm. long. 



Open hillsides, Upper Sonoran Zone; Sierra Nevada foothills, and in the San Francisco Bay region, Cali- 

 fornia. Type locality: American River, California. March-May. 



The plants in the San Francisco Bay region often have some of the filaments dilated. These forms repre- 

 sent M. collina Greene. In the southern Sierra Nevada, the plants have broader petals and sometimes only 8 

 stamens. They are M. octandra Greene. 



