SAXIFRAGE FAMILY 119 



from a stout branching base. Leaves long-petioled, palmately 

 veined. Flowers small, reddish or nearly white. Calyx bell- 

 shaped, the tube adherent below to the 1-celled ovary. Petals 

 5, small, entire. Stamens 5. Styles 2. 



1. H. micrantha Dougl. Leaves hairy, ovate, 1 to 3y 2 in. 

 across, more or less lobed and toothed, long-petioled. Pani- 

 cle very loose, of numerous small flowers, 2 to 4 in. wide and 

 6 to 18 in. long. Calyx pale, about is in. long including the 

 teeth. 



The long, feathery cluster of minute flowers readily dis- 

 tinguishes this plant. These flowering shoots are 1 to 2 ft. 

 long and spring from a basal cluster of ample leaves. They 

 decorate nearly every shady slope and rocky stream bank up 

 to 6000 ft., as around the walls of Yosemite Valley, where 

 they are exceedingly abundant and highly ornamental. 



2. H. rubescens Torr. Leaves rough, hairy on edges and 

 veins, with broad almost heart-shaped base, y 2 to \ l / 2 in. 

 broad, bluntly toothed and often slightly lobed, on petioles 



1 or 2 in. long. Panicle rather compact, usually 1-sided, ^2 

 to 1 in. wide and 2 to 6 in. long (rarely 2 in. wide and 9 in. 

 long). Calyx rose-red, fully % in. long, with blunt green 

 teeth. Petals narrow, white, nearly twice as long as calyx- 

 teeth. 



This Alum-root, which seldom exceeds 1 ft. in height, 

 occurs plentifully on rocky ledges at middle and higher alti- 

 tudes. It was noted at Eagle Peak, Nevada Falls, Glacier 

 Point Short Trail (6900 ft.), and Clouds Rest. In the High 

 Sierra Nevada the stems are shorter and the flower-clusters 

 more compact. 



3. H. pringlei Rydb. Leaves rough and with stiff hairs on 

 edges and veins, ovate, the base straight (truncate) or 

 slightly wedge-shaped, Yz to 1%. in. across, sharply cut- 

 toothed, on petioles 1 or 2 in. long. Panicle 1 in. or less wide, 



2 to 6 in. long. Calyx dull white or reddish, ^ in. long exclu- 

 sive of the. narrow green teeth. Petals white, twice longer 

 than calyx-teeth, almost reaching the conspicuous orange 

 anthers. 



The pale flowers of this species are found with those of 

 H. rubescens at Nevada Falls and on the Glacier Point Trail. 

 It also grows near Yosemite Falls. The characters are in- 

 constant and suggest a hybrid origin. 



5. MITELLA. Mitrewort. 

 1. M. breweri Gray. Leaves all basal, roundish, the base 



