578 BORAGINACEAE 



1. Eremocarya micrantha (Torr.) Greene. Eremocarya. Fig. 4264. 



Eritrichium micranthum Torr. Bot. Mex. Bound. 141. 1859. 



Krynitzkia micrantha A. Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. 20: 275. 188S. 



Eremocarya micrantha Greene, Pittonia 1 : 59. 1887. 



Cryptantha micrantha I. M. Johnston, Contr. Gray Herb. No. 68: 56. 1923. 



Annual, the root and usually the lower part of the stems purple-staining, 3-10 cm. high, the 

 branchlets slender and more or less dichotomous, brownish beneath the light gray strigose 

 pubescence. Leaves oblong-oblanceolate, 2i-7 mm. long, whitish-strigose or short-hirsute ; spikes 

 numerous, leafy-bracted throughout, densely flowered and unilateral, rarely over 1 cm. long; 

 flowers distinctly biserrate; corolla inconspicuous, the limb 0.5-1 mm. broad; fruiting calyx- 

 lobes about 2 mm. long, oblong-lanceolate, erect, short-hispid; nutlets 4, 1-1.3 mm. long, smooth 

 or tuberculate, 1 nutlet sometimes a little longer and more persistent than the others ; groove 

 extending to the apex of the nutlet, scarcely broadened at base ; gynobase subulate, nearly as 

 long as the calyx-lobes and bearing the sessile stigma at the apex. 



Dry sandy soils, Sonoran Zones; Inyo County. California, south through the Mojave and Colorado Deserts 

 and cismontane southern California to northern Lower California, east to Nevada, southern Utah, Arizona and 

 southwestern Texas. Type locality: "Sand hills, Frontera, Texas, and in other places along the Rio Grande." 

 March-June. 



Eremocarya micrantha var. lepida (A. Gray) J. F. Macbride, 51: 545. 1916. (Eritrichium micranthum 

 var. lepidum A. Gray, Syn. FI. N. Amer. 2>:193. 1878; Eremocarya lepida Greene, Pittonia 1:59. 1887; 

 Cryptantha micrantha var. lepida T. M. Johnston, Contr. Gray Herb. No. 68: 57. 1923; Eremocarya Abramsiana 

 Brand, Pflanzenreich 4^-: 77. 1931.) Plants a little more robust, commonly 8-15 cm. high; corolla 1.5-3.5 

 mm. broad. Mountain valleys, Arid Transition Zone; Mount Pinos, Ventura County, south through the moun- 

 tains of southern California to northern Lower California. Type locality: "San Diego Co., D. Cleveland," but 

 probably from the Laguna or Cuyamaca Mountains east of San Diego. 



21. CRYPT Antra Lehm. ex Fisch. & Mey. Ind. SertL Hort. Petrop. 2: 35. 



1836. 



Mostly low, erect, branching, setose or hispid annual herbs with narrow alternate 

 entire leaves and small white flowers in scorpioid bractless or bracteate spikes. Calyx 

 5-parted or 5-cleft, erect or spreading in fruit, at length deciduous. Corolla small, funnel- 

 form, usually with 5 scales closing the throat. Stamens included ; filaments short. Ovary 

 4-divided; style short; stigma capitate. Nutlets erect, rounded more or less on the 

 back, obtuse, acute or winged on the margins, attached laterally to the conical or elongated 

 receptacle; scar elongated. [Name Greek, meaning hidden flower; the original species 

 had cleistogamous flowers.] 



A New World genus of about 60 species, mainly western North America, but some also in western 

 and southern South America. Type species, Cryptantha glomerata Lehm. 



Surface of nutlets papillate, tuberculate or muricate, or sometimes when heteromorphous the odd nutlet smooth. 



Lateral angles of nutlets sharply angled or knife-like or prominently winged. 



Nutlets 4, triangular-ovate or triangular-oblong, homomorphic or heteromorphic; odd nutlet abaxial. 



I. Angustifoliae. 



Nutlets 1-4, lanceolate; lateral angles knife-like or distinctly winged; odd nutlet a.xial. 



II. Ptcrocaryae. 

 Lateral angles of nutlets rounded or obtuse, not winged. 



Nutlets heteromorphic, 1-4, the large nutlet axial and sometimes less roughened. 



III. Maritimae. 



Nutlets homomorphic, all alike or nearly so, normally 4, sometimes fewer by abortion even on 

 the same plant. 

 Nutlets lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, convex on the dorsal side. IV. Barbigerae. 



Nutlets ovate or triangular-ovate. 



Dorsal side of nutlets obtuse and with at least a faint median ridge. 



V. Muricatae. 



Dorsal side of nutlets flat or low-convex, without median ridge. VI. Ambiguae. 



Surface of nutlets smooth and shining, their lateral angles rounded or obtuse. 



Groove of nutlets median. 



Hairs of calyx straight or soft and somewhat wavy, not encrusted or hooked; nutlets 1-4. 



Dorsal side of nutlets low-convex or flat; nutlets 1—4, homomorphic. 



Nutlets ovate to lanceolate, their lateral angles obtuse or rounded. VI. Ambiguae. 



Nutlets oblong-ovate to lanceolate, sharply angled on the sides especially toward the apex. 



VII. Mohavenses. 

 Dorsal side of nutlets rounded-convex, lateral angles rounded or obtuse. 



Nutlets lanceolate, nearly homomorphic, the axial one always present and slightly larger 

 than the others. 

 Nutlets 1 or rarely 2. VIII. Cradles. 



Nutlets 4. IX. Ramulosissimae. 



Nutlets ovate or ovate-lanceolate, the abaxial one always present. X. Leiocarpae. 



Hairs of calyx-lobes arcuate or uncinate, and with a pallid incrustation; nutlet 1. 



XI. Flaccidae. 



Groove of nutlet eccentric, one side of nutlet on lower surface appearing as if somewhat deformed. 



XII. Affines. 



I. Angustifoliae. 



Lateral angles of nutlets distinctly winged; pedicels slender, 1-4 mm. long. 



Nutlets broadly winged, homomorphic. I. C. holoptcra. 



Nutlets narrowly winged, heteromorphic; plants flowering as an annual, but often persisting several 

 years and suflfruticose. 2. C. racemosa. 



