BOSCHNIAKIA STROBILACEA, GRAY. 65 



shoots. One of the Sonoma specimens was a remarkable illustration 

 of the happiness of the specific name, the broad overlapping scales 

 of the thick spike, and the outline of the spike itself, bearing a 

 most remarkable resemblance to the narrow cones of one variety of 

 the sugar pine, Pinus Lambertiana. On the other hand, the Mt. 

 St. Helena specimens are example of variation in the other direc- 

 tion, the spike being rather short and very open — almost loose, not 

 in the least suggestive of a pine fruit. 



The bracts are mostly rhomboidial in outline, sometimes as broad 

 as long, usually more or less erosulate, and are J to f of an inch in 

 breadth above. Bracteoles are not ordinarily found but when 

 present, occur on the lower portion of the spike, two to each flower. 

 These bracteoles are narrowly linear structures 4 to 5 lines in length. 



In a few very interesting cases they are somewliat longer, with the 

 upper half of the structure distinctly expanded and laminate with 

 erosulate margins. There are no other leaf organs known of this 

 plant but the bracts and bracteoles and scales. The genus in the 

 Synoptical Flora is characterized as "ebracteolate. " Tlie flowers of 

 Couopholis are bibracteolate, as are, also, those of Apliyllon comosum, 

 A. tuberosum, and related species. 



The flowers themselves are either sessile or distinctly pediceled. 

 The bracts at the period of full anthesis curl their apices inwards 

 somewhat, the corollas thus having the appearance of being exserted 

 a little beyond them. The tube of the corolla is slightly constricted 

 just below the throat; the upper lip is described by Gray as entire 

 in all the species of the genus but it is often rather deeply notched, 

 most noticeably in Mr. Blasdale's Hyampum specimens, particu- 

 larly in the upper flowers. 



The most noteworthy variations, however, appear in tlie calyx. 

 In the plants from Sonoma County there appears every variation from 

 a calyx which is perfectly truncate to calyces with one, two, three, 

 or four lanceolate acuminate or triangular acute teeth, which are 

 equal or unequal and may be as long as the tube. The calyces 

 without teeth occur in the lower part of the spike; when two teeth 

 are present, they are either lateral or anterior. Calyces with three 

 or four teeth are found mostly on the upper part of the spike and 

 are disposed laterally and anteriorly. In no case is there a posterior 



