RUBIACEAE. 345 



at base, entire or coarsely dentate, 2 dm. long or less; scapes ex- 

 ceeding the leaves, erect, 3 dm. long or less; spikes 2 dm. long or 

 less; pyxis ovoid, circumscissile at about the middle, 5-16-seeded. 

 Frequent in low ground. 



4. P. erecta Morris. Annual, silky pubescent, 6-15 cm. high; 

 leaves erect, narrowly linear to narrowly oblanceolate, about two- 

 thirds the length of the scapes or nearly equaling the shorter ones; 

 scapes 1 or few; spikes few-many-flowered, capitate or oblong, 15 

 cm. long or usually less; calyx-lobes obtuse, scarious-margined 

 with brownish midrib; pyxis ovate, truncate, purplish above, cir- 

 cumscissile at the lower third; seeds 2. 



Very common on dry plains and in the foothills throughout our 

 range. 



4a. P. erecta obversa (Morris) Abrams. A more robust form; 

 leaves with few to several callous denticulations; scapes usually 

 numerous; spikes 15-40 cm. long; capsule circumscissile near the 

 middle. (P. obversa Morris.) 



Occasional in sandy soil toward the coast, also on Catalina 

 Island. In our opinion not a good species and scarcely worthy of 

 varietal distinction. 



5. P. bigelovii Gray. Very slender, annual, 1 dm. high or less 

 leaves very narrowly linear or filiform, glabrous; scapes very slender, 

 slightly pubescent above; spikes slender, about 15 mm. long and 

 4 mm. broad, often much shorter and reduced to 4-5 flowers; calyx 

 broadly scarious-margined; pyxis oblong-ovate, much exceeding the 

 calyx, circumscissile at the lower third. 



Known within our limits only from Inglewood, where it occurs 

 in low exsiccated places. 



Family 98. RUBIACEAE. Madder Family. 



Herbs or woody plants with simple, opposite or verti- 

 cillate, mostly stipulate leaves, and perfect, often dimor- 

 phous or trimorphous regular flowers. Calyx-tube ad- 

 nate to the ovary, its limb various. Corolla 4-5-lobed, 

 often pubescent within. Stamens as many as the lobes 

 of the corolla and alternate with them, inserted on its 

 tube or throat; anthers versatile, 2-celled, longitudinally 

 dehiscent. Ovary inferior, 2-5-celled; style simple or 

 lobed; ovules 1-many in each cell. Fruit a capsule or 

 berry. Seeds various. 



1. GALIUM L. Bedstraw. 



Annual or perennial herbs or rarely suffrutescent, 

 with 4-angled slender stems and branches, apparently 



