PORTULACACEAE. 129 



1. CALANDRINIA H. B. K. 



Low succulent herbs with alternate or radical leaves, 

 and purplish flowers in bracteolate racemes. Sepals 2, 

 green and persistent. Petals mostly 5. Stamens 5-15 

 or sometimes only 3. Ovary free, many-ovuled, style 

 3-cleft, short. Capsule ovoid, membranous, 3-valved. 

 Seeds smooth or minutely tuberculate. 



1. C. caulescens menziesii (Hook.) Gray. Stems decumbent 

 or ascending, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, 10-30 cm. long, leafy; 

 leaves linear to oblanceolate, the lower petioled, 3-6 cm. long; 

 flowers scattered along the branches; sepals ovate, acute or acumi- 

 nate, carinate, the keel and margins entire or sparsely ciliolate; petals 

 broadly obovate, 5-15 mm. long, rose-red or rarely white; seeds 

 black and shining. (C menziesii (Hook.) T. & G. ; C. elegans 

 Spach.) 



Common on the mesas, especially in the coast region. February- 

 May. 



2. C. maritima Nutt. Stems glaucous, depressed, 6-10 cm. 

 long; leaves mostly rosulate at the base, obovate to obovate-spatu- 

 late, the upper bract-like; flowers in a loose naked cyme; calyx 

 ovate, acute, about 3 mm. long; petals 5-6 mm. long, rose-purple; 

 capsule ovoid, 4 mm. long, acutish; seeds dull grayish. 



Along the seashore at Santa Monica; Davidson. 



2. CALYPTRIDIUM Nutt. 



Glabrous and rather succulent herbs, branching from 

 the base, the branches prostrate or ascending. Flowers 

 small, ephemeral, solitary or clustered in scorpioid spikes. 

 Sepals 2, broadly ovate or cordate-orbicular, scarious, 

 persistent. Petals 2-4. Stamens 1-3. Style bifid. 

 Capsule membranaceous, 2-valved, 6-12-seeded. 



1. C. monandrum Nutt. Stems prostrate, much branched, 2-8 

 cm. long; leaves spatulate, about equaling the branches, mostly 

 radical, the cauline similar but usually smaller; sepals 2, narrowly 

 scarious margined, 1.5 mm. long; petals 2-3, about equaling the 

 sepals; stamens 1, shorter than the petals; filaments subulate; style 

 short, shortly 2-lobed or entire; capsule linear, becoming much 

 exserted, bearing the withered petals at the apex; seeds 5-10. 



Frequent on sand-dunes along the seashore and occasional in 

 the foothill region. March-May. 



3. MONTIA L. Miner's Lettuce. 



Low glabrous and succulent herbs with delicate pale 

 rose-colored or white flowers in loose axillary or terminal, 

 simple or compound racemes. Sepals 2, rarely 3, per- 



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