286 
BOTANY. 
mostly 2-4' long, sometimes much shorter ; involucre of 5 ovate or narrow- 
lanceolate acuminate subherbaceous bracts, 2-5" long, 8-20-flowercd; flower 
bright rose-color, 6-12" long, the large hmh (4-8" broad) 4-5-parted with 
deeply emarginate lobes ; tube pubescent ; stamens 3-5, unequal ; fruit 
7-12" long and 4-10" wide, including the 2-4 (usually 3) semi-orbicular 
membranous strongly reticulated wings, which are united above the firm and 
rigid body ; seed 2^-4" long. — A showy handsome plant, beginning to flower 
very early. The fruit of the central flower is usually wingless. The speci- 
mens of the collection, like others from the same region collected by Dr. 
Torrey, Stretch, and Veatch, (A. Crux-3faltce, Kell.,) are only in flower, 
showing immature fruit. They are alike in the broad 4-lobed and 4-androus 
floNN crs, the very slender tube green above and slightly dilated about the ap- 
proximate anthers, the uppermost of which are in the very throat; the upper 
lube is often marked by minute white lines, (raphides!) From Northern 
Texas and New Mexico to the Platte; on the Saskatchewan, (Bourgeau.) 
Valleys of Western Nevada; May, June. (967.) 
Hermidium* 'alipes. Stems rather stout, ascending, branched, 1° high ; 
leaves l-2i' long, broad-ovate, subcordate, obtuse or subacute, short-petioled ; 
hcatls ul)out 6-flowered; bracts G-10" long, cordate-ovate, acute, sessile, occa- 
sionally slightly united, more or less colored; perigonium deciduous, light- 
])urpl(^, cam})aindate, narrowed toward the base, about equaling the bract, 
somrwliid r)-lobed, the 5 nerves leading to the sinuses ; the slender filaments 
and floHL^aied siyle al)<)ut equaling the perigonium; stigma capitate; fruit 
(immature) globular, smooth; ovary apparently narrowly 3-winged. — From 
its ])ract-likc involucres belonging technically to the suborder Bougainville^ 
of Choisy, but in the structure of the flower and fruit, (so far as appears from 
immature s[)('cinu"ns,) wholly a MirahiUs. On low foot-hills from the Big 
Fx'ud of the Truckce Ivivcr to Oreana on the Humboldt; May. Plate 
XXX 11. Fig. 1. Portion of stem; uppermost head of undeveloped flowers 
opened out and showing iniju rlrctly their position; natural size. Fig. 2. A 
single bract and flower. Fig. 3. Vertical section of immature ovary; enlarged 
four diameters. (968.) 
1 Ul'KMinH'M. Iiivolwrr.' i ui\^i>t in;4 of n sino;lo Uvontl iiu niliranoiis brnct liclowthe base of eacli 
fl<uvt r. Flowers hi i-..n.l. u-i d h. atl-likr tcvitiinal aiiil axillary rart iurs. tin; , short ]it'(licols adnate to the 
iiiiih t in- oT till- l.i .ii N. I'. r; j,niiiiiiii rniuiiaiiulat.'-fiumrir.irm. Sraiiu iis :>-?. Othi.-rwise as in MiraliUs. 
A lleshy ht'ihaci-ous glabrous au«l glaiirous lu n niiial ; L'avt s opposite, entire. 
