370 BORAGINACEAE 



Mesas and grassy slopes, 30 to 4000 feet : San Benito Co. to eastern San Luis 

 Obispo Co. ; cismontane Southern California from Santa Barbara Co. to San Diego 

 Co. South into Lower California. Apr .-May. 



Locs. — South Coast Ranges: Vancouver Pinnacles, San Benito Co. (Lflts. W. Bot. 2:101) ; 

 EstreUa, San Luis Obispo Co., Jared. Cismontane S. Cal.: Santa Barbara, T. Brandegee ; Santa 

 Cruz Isl., T. Brandegee ; Santa Catalina Isl., Greata; San Cleinente IsL, Murharger 36; betw. 

 Pine Flats and Chilao, San Gabriel Mts., Feirson 997 ; Temescal Canon near Tmn Sprs., sw. River- 

 side Co., Jepson 19,130; Las Flores, San Diego coast, Abrams 3276; San Diego, Orcutt 2265; 

 Campo, San Diego Co., Mum 12,629. 



Var. ursina (Gray) Jepson. Stems stout, short, congested; nutlets about 1 line long, the 

 dorsal rugae fewer. — Montane valleys, 3000 to 6700 feet: Bear Valley, San Bernardino Mts., 

 Parish 927; Hemet VaUey, San Jacinto Mts., Mum 5416. South to Lower California. 



Eefs. — ECHIDIOCAKTA CALIFORNICA Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 12:164 (1877), type loc. "San 

 Bernardino Co." (undoubtedly in the cismontane part of the county), Parry 4" Lemmon ; Jepson, 

 Man. 854 (1925). Plagioboihrys californicus Greene, Bull. Cal. Acad. 2:407 (1887). P. ealifor- 

 nicus var. genuinus Jtn., Contrib. Gray Herb. 68:73 (1923). Allocaryastrum calif ornicum Brand; 

 Engler, Pflzr. 4='^-:100 (1931). Plagiobothrys cooperi Gray, I.e. 20:285 (1885), type loc. vicinity 

 of San Diego, Cooper. P. californicus var. gracilis Jtn., I.e., type loc. San Diego, Brandegee 1658. 

 Allocaryastrum gracile Brand, I.e. Plagiobothrys californicus var. fulvescens Jtn., I.e. 68:74 

 (1923), type loc. Santa Barbara, T. Brandegee (intermediate toward var. ursina). Allocaryas- 

 trum ursinum var. fulvescens Brand, I.e. 4-''-:101 (1931). Plagiobothrys allocaryoides Brand; 

 Fedde, Repert. Sp. Nov. 20:47 (1924), type loc. San Diego, Jones 3072. Allocaryastrum alloca- 

 ryoides Brand; Engler, Pflzr. 4==-:100 (1931). Var. uksixa Jepson, Man. 854 (1925). E. ursina 

 Gray, I.e. 19:90 (1883), type loc. Bear Valley, San Bernardino Mts., S. B. # IF. F. Parish. Plagio- 

 bothrys ursinus Gray, I.e. 20:285 (1885). P. californicus var. ursinus Jtn., Contrib. Gray Herb. 

 68:74 (1923). Allocaryastrum ursinum Biani ; Engler, Pflzr. 4==- : 101 (1931). 



17. PLAGIOBOTHRYS F. & M. Pop-corn Flower 



Rather slender annuals. Herbage soft-pubeseent, the hairs often rusty when 

 young, especially on the csdyx. Leaves mostly in a basal rosette, also alternate along 

 the stems, all sessile or if narrowed below broad at base. Flowers subsessile or 

 short-pediceled, borne in racemiform inflorescences but the inflorescences essen- 

 tially spike-like and here called spikes. Spikes elongated and loose, or sometimes 

 extremely short and dense (the flowers then glomerate). Pedicels persistent. 

 Corolla short, white, with crests or processes at the mouth of the throat. Nutlets 

 ovoid, strongly incurved, keeled dorsally, also keeled ventrally from near the middle 

 to the apex, and often also laterally keeled or margined, the dorsal side usually 

 rugose and often tuberculate or papillate. Nutlets inserted ventrally above the 

 base or at the middle, the scar raised and rounded (caruncle-like and here called a 

 caruncle) and leaving a corresponding depression on the receptacle or gynobase. — 

 Species about 15, North and South America. (Greek plagios, on the side, and 

 bothrus, pit or excavation, the first known species having a hollow scar.) 



Caruncle rounded or circular in outline; nutlets ovate or cruciform. 



Flowers in elongated spikes; caruncle firm or cartilaginous, borne at or a little below the 

 middle of the nutlet in a transverse groove or hollow, and thus lying below or slightly 

 below the ventral keel; basal rosette of leaves conspicuous; mature nutlets 1 to 4. 

 Calyx-lobes erect or spreading, not circumscissile ; mature nutlets usually 4 ; midrib and 

 margins of leaves not purple-stained (or purple-stained in nos. 5 and 6 and 

 often in no. 2). 

 Nutlets transversely ridged dorsally, the ridges regular and parallel, not forming 

 areolae. 

 Rugae narrow and sharp or roughish, or formed of rows of tubercles, separated 

 by broadish intervals; nutlets brown, ovate, rounded at base, con- 

 stricted at apex; plants purplish; South Coast Ranges, low altitudes, 



rare 1. P. iincinatus. 



Rugae broad and low, flattish, closely packed and separated only by narrow or 



line-like grooves. 



Plants conspicuously purplish ; nutlets whitish, orbicular-ovate, constricted 



only at apex, the base rounded ; rugae smooth and polished ; Sierra 



Nevada, middle altitudes 2. P. torreyi. 



