514 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



Corolla lobes convolute; capsules elastically dehiscent. 



128. ACANTHACEAE (p. 597). 

 Placentae of the ovary parietal. 



Plants parabitic ; leaves scalelike, without green coloring matter. 



130. OROBANCHACEAE (p. 599). 

 Plants not parasitic; leaves green. 



Ovary and capsule 2-celled; shrubs; seeds winged. 



131. BIGNONIACEAE (p. 600). 

 Ovary and capsule 1-celled; herbs; seeds wingless. 



132. MARTYNIACEAE (p. 601). 



116. DICHONDKACEAE. Dichondra Family. 



1. DICHONDRA Forst. 



Annual or perennial creeping herbs with small petiolate entire leaves having orbicu- 

 lar or reniform blades, the inconspicuous solitary flowers on short peduncles; calyx 

 of 5 distinct or nearly distinct sepals; corolla about 5 mm. in diameter, rotate or cam- 

 panulate, 5-lobed; stamens 5, shorter than the corolla; pistil of 2 carpels; styles 2, 

 distinct; capsules 2-celled, the carpels more or less united, indehiscent; seeds soli- 

 tary, smooth. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



Leaves silvery, densely sericeous 1. D. argentea. 



Leaves green, sparingly villous 2. D. brachypoda. 



1. Dichondra argentea Willd. Hort. Berol. pi. 81, 1816. 

 Type locality: ' "Habitat in America meridionali." 

 Range: Western Texas to Arizona and southward. 



New Mexico: Organ Mountains. Shaded slopes, in the Upper Sonoran and Transi- 

 tion zones. 



2. Dichondra brachypoda Woot. & Standi. Contr. IT. S. Nat. Herb. 16: 160. 1913. 

 Type locality: Filmore Canyon in the Organ Mountains, New Mexico. Type col- 



lected by Wooton and Standley, September 23, 1906. 

 Range: Western Texas and southern New Mexico. 

 New Mexico: Kingston; Organ Mountains; Queen. Canyons and in woods. 



117. CTJSCUTACEAE. Dodder Family. 

 1. CUSCUTA L. Dodder. 



Herbaceous parasites with twining yellow or orange stems, the leaves reduced to 

 minute scales; flowers perfect, waxy white, cymose; calyx of 5 or 4 imbricated lobes, 

 accompanied by as many alternating, crenulate or appendaged scales, or these obso- 

 lete; stamens 5 or 4, attached to the corolla in the throat or near the sinuses above the 

 scales; ovary 2-celled; styles 2, mostly distinct; stigmas capitate or elongated; cap- 

 sules subglobose, depressed or elongated, circumscis^-ile or indehiscent, 1 to 4-seeded. 



It is said that the Navahos used the parched seeds of dodder as food. 



key to the species. 



Calyx of 5 almost distinct overlapping sepals, subtended by bracts. 1. C. squamata. 

 Calyx gamosepalous, bractless. 



Styles equal, with elongated stigmas 4. C. epithymum. 



Styles unequal, with capitate stigmas. 



Petals acute; styles longer than the capsule 2. C. umbellata. 



Petals obtuse; styles shorter than the capsule 3. C. curta. 



