ONAGRACEAE. 243 



mostly obovate or obcordate. Stamens 8, anthers ob- 

 long or linear, short. Ovary 4-celled; united styles 

 slender or filiform; stigma club-shaped or 4-lobed. Cap- 

 sule elongated, 4-sided, 4-celled, loculicidally dehiscent 

 by 4 valves. Seeds small, numerous, with a tuft of hairs 

 (coma) at the summit. 



Annual. 1. E. paniculatum. 

 Perennials. 



Leaves canescent. 2. E. holosericeum. 



Leaves not canescent. 3. E. parishii. 



1. E. paniculatum Nutt. Stems erect at base, slender, terete, 

 loosely dichotomously branched, glabrate at base, somewhat glandu- 

 lar-pubescent above or nearly smooth, 3-8 dm. high; leaves chiefly 

 fascicled and alternate, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, acute, 

 sparingly denticulate, tapering to a slender winged petiole, 3-5 cm. 

 long, becoming smaller and bract-like above; flowers scattered 

 toward the ends of the branches; petals about 8 mm. long, violet; 

 capsules fusiform, falcate, about 2 cm. long; seeds about 1 mm. 

 broad, 2 mm. long, papillate. 



Frequent in dry ground in the foothills and mountains. June- 

 August. 



2. E. holosericeum Trelease. Stems slightly woody, loosely 

 branching, 5-8 dm. high, at least the upper leaves and branches 

 canescent with subappressed hairs; leaves 5 cm. long, oblong- 

 lanceolate, obtuse or sometimes acute, undulately low-serrulate, 

 narrowed, or abruptly contracted and then cuneately narrowed 

 into short petioles; flowers in long succession along the elongated 

 branches, pale, barely 5 mm. long; fruiting pedicels about 1 cm, long; 

 seeds short-beaked, very finely papillate, 0.4 mm. broad, 1 mm. 

 long. 



Frequent in low ground in all the valleys. 



3. E. parishii Trelease. Rather stout and intricately branched 

 even from the base, 5-8 dm. high, glabrous below, the inflorescence 

 and capsules very sparingly, the young buds densely white-tomen- 

 tose; leaves 25-75 mm. long, lanceolate, very obtuse or the reduced 

 uppermost acutish, somewhat unequally or abruptly narrowed to 

 slender more or less elongated petioles, rather thin and glabrous; 

 flowers at length numerous, rose-colored; fruiting peduncles about 

 15 mm. long; seeds short-beaked, 0.4 mm. broad, 1-1.25 mm. long. 



Common in damp land in the valleys and along streams below 

 4000 feet. 



4. BOISDUVALIA Spach. 



Annual erect or decumbent rather rigid herbs, with 

 numerous alternate sessile leaves, and small purple 

 flowers in leafy-bracted spikes. Calyx-tube funnelform 

 above the ovary, deciduous; the lobes erect in flower. 



