BUTTERCUP FAMILY 519 



to discriminate and. as immaterial altho sometimes striking variations abound 

 there IS a tendency to multiply species rather thau to search rigorously for 

 essential points of likeness. The roots are more or less ditfereutiated and 

 should never be neglected in making specimens. The segmentation and i)ul)es- 

 cence of the leaves, especially the lower, furnish characters useful in writing 

 diagnoses. The seeds have distinguishing features, but may be misleadin<^ if 

 observations are restricted to a representation of proposed species restin<^ on 

 single or few individuals. 



All the spex'ies are probably more or less poisonous, but most occur too spar- 

 ingly in California to be a menace to cattle. D. hesperium var. recurvatum is 

 reported as poisoning cattle in the South Coast Ranges. D. trolliifolium has a 

 bad reputation, whilst D. menziesii is the best-known of the various species 

 oittimes responsible for causing a heavy mortalitv among cattle and sheep 

 Bnn'on~?,fr*'p^-,^--' P"°^.jPfl Poisonous Plants of the U. S. (U. S. Dept. Agr. Div.' Bot. 



^<,C-Ji' iP' Pi;<'l'"">^fy,<-at. of Plants Poisonous to Stock (U. S. Bur. AninTal Inrl. Ren. 

 —ISJS). Wilcox, E. v., Larkspur Poisoning of Sheep (Mont. Agr. Exp Bull 1.5—1807^ 

 Chesnut V K., and Wilcox, E. V., Stoek-poisoning Plants of Montana (U S. Dept. A<.r Div 



lui n nt'7 T,-. '^'^^'"^W'.■' L"''^P-■^«^ P-^o-^o^s Plants (U. S. Lr. PI. Ind! 

 1.UII. Ill, pt. 1,-1900. This last-cited paper contains many references to the literature. 



A. Flowers red; follicles glabrous; seeds sharply angled, narrowly margined.— 



Section PnoENicuDKLHHis. 

 Leaves divided into narro-ndy linear or lanceolate divisions: stem leaf v. . 1 D cardinale 



Leaves parted into broad mostly obtuse divisions ' • • < u„me. 



Stem leafy; rare 3_0 purpusii. 



B. Flowers blue, white, pink or lavender.— Section Delphixastrum 

 Leaves not fau-shaped; stems freely or sparsely leafy, at least, with a few leaves towards the 

 base ; upper petals usually white, the lower simulating the color of the calvx 

 Boot a globose tuber or a cluster of fleshy roots. 



Leaves mostly twice palmately divided or cleft and toothed. 



Follicles erect, glabrous; foothills and middle altitudes 4. D. decorum 



Follicles strongly curved-diverging, pubescent; n. Mendocino to Siskiyou and 



Modoc ; higher altitudes 5. b. menziesii. 



Leaves commonly pedately divided into very narrow, mostly entire, lobes; northern 



T. , , . /? Nevada at higher altitudes ". 6. D. pauciflorum. 



hoot a cluster of hard woody, often fusiform, fibres. 



Stems very tall; flowers numerous; pedicels spreading, the racemes loose or, at least 



broad; follicles glabrous. ' 



Ultimate leaf -lobes little unequal, obtuse, mueronulate; raceme mostly loose- 



herbage glabrous; far North Coast Ranges 7. D. troimfolium'. 



Ultimate leaf -segments unequal, lanceolate or acute. 



Flowers slightly puberulent; herbage glabrous; Sierra Nevada 



„, i, , , ^- ^- scopulorum. 

 1- lowers rather densely pubescent; herbage pubescent; coast species 



„ 9. D. californicum. 



btems tall; racemes commonly very strict or cylindric, sometimes loose; follicles pu- 

 berulent. 

 Petioles hirsute with spreading hairs; seeds densely covered with thin processes, 



as if scaly-eehinate; Sierra Nevada, lower' altitudes 10. D. hansenii. 



Seeds not .scaly-echinate. 



Coastal or interior valley species. 



Petioles hirsute with spreading hairs, mostly short; racemes of medium 

 length and often loose; flowers commonly royal purple, rarely 

 pinkish; mostly central Coast Ranges ...".. 1 1". D. vari'cgatum. 

 Petioles finely canescent. 



Sepals densely pubescent on the back (usually blurring the color) 

 in a median longitudinal band; pedicels mostly 2 to 6 lines 

 long; leaf -lobes mostly short; petioles mostly short; west- 

 central California, chiefly 12. D. lirsperium. 



Sepals lightly pubescent on the back (not blurring the color); pedi- 

 cels mostly 4 to 12 lines long; leaf -lobes usually long; peti- 

 oles often long; Southern California chiefly.. 13. D. parryi. 



