70 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



was distributed under that name rather than under the proper 

 or accepted name; those not otherwise designated were prop- 

 erly named before distribution. Where the parenthesis (^ 

 only) or ($ only) occurs it indicates that the remainder of the 

 specimen belongs to some species other than the one under 

 discussion. 



S. LAEVIGATA Bebb. 



S. laevigata Bebb, Am. Nat. 8:202. 1874.— Bebb, Bot. Calif. 2:83. 

 1880. — Bebb, Bot. Ga/.. 16:103. 1891. — Bebb, Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 

 (Bot. Death Valley) 4:198. 1893. — Greene, Bot. Bay Re^. 299. 1894.— 

 Parish, Zoe 4 : 347. 1894. — Sargent, Silva 9 : 113. pZ. ^(?c9. 1896 



Although S. laevigata is a well-marked species, collectors 

 seem to find considerable difficulty in correctly determining 

 specimens of it. A glance at the subjoined list will show 

 that it has been distributed under at least five other names. 

 I have, on the other hand, seen specimens of S. lasiandra, 

 lasiolepis, var. Bigelovii and Humholdtiana which had been 

 determined and distributed as S. laevigata. In our country 

 its nearest relatives are, on the one hand, S. lasiandra and, on 

 the other, S. nigra. 



Mature specimens are easily differentiated from S. lasi- 

 andra by a laevigate upper surface of the leaf and the ab- 

 sence of glands on blade or petiole. The staminate aments 

 ,are long, slender, and flexuous, usually drying yellow. The 

 pistillate aments are from one to five inches long when mature 

 and are more slender than those of S . lasiandra. The scales 

 of both sexes are usually densely villous. The following 

 character of the young leaves was given in the original de- 

 scription and is conspicuous and nearly constant. " As the 

 buds expand, two or three small scale-like leaves appear 

 -clothed beneath and fringed on the margin with ferruginous 

 silky hairs; these soon fall off." The growth is very dense 

 and the long tawny fringe is quite striking as it projects from 

 under the obovate leaf, which frequently attains a length of 

 an inch before becoming glabrous. These obtuse young 

 leaves are generally provided with an abruptly mucronate 

 point. The numerous prominent glands which stud the 

 margin of young leaf and stipule in S. lasiandra are wanting 

 here. 



