NO. 2 gentry: land plants 145 



Sphaeralcea Hainesii Brge., Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. II, 2:136. 

 1889. 



Tortuga Island, March 17, Rempel 224. Los Angeles Bay, Baja Cali- 

 fornia, March 19, 20, Rempd 244. 



Middle part of the California Gulf Region along the eastern coast 

 of the peninsula and the islands of San Pedro Martir, San Marcos, Tor- 

 tuga; type from Jesus Maria, Baja California. On the peninsula it fre- 

 quents waste lands like a weed, but Johnston reported "it is the most 

 abundant herbaceous perennial on the island" of San Pedro Martir. 



Sterculiaceae 



Hermannia Palmeri Rose, C.N.H. 1 :67. 1890. 



San Jose del Cabo, February 17, Dawson 1220. 



Apparently endemic to southern Baja California; type from La Paz. 

 This plant is rare in collections. The above cited specimen is in flower 

 only, the characteristic Solanum-like stamens conspicuous. The cordate- 

 triangular crenate leaves are unusually ample, the blades up to 4 cm 

 wide and 4 cm long, indicating good moisture conditions or shade during 

 the weeks preceding collection. 



Melochia tomentosa L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10:1140. 1759. 



San Carlos Bay, Sonora, February 8, Dawson 1062. San Jose del 

 Cabo, February 17, Dawson 1191. 



Lower elevations nearly throughout Mexico and south into Central 

 America. It is a common shrub in the environs of Guaymas, where, in 

 the fall after the summer rains, it forms a rather showy slender shrub 

 with light purplish flowers. 



WaLTHERIA AMERICANA L., Sp. PI. 673. 1753. 



San Jose del Cabo, February 17, Dawson 1158. 



Widely distributed through the American tropics and subtropics; 

 type from the Bahama Islands. 



Frankeniaceae 



Frankenia Palmeri Wats., Proc. Am. Acad. Sci. 11:124. 1876. 



Los Angeles Bay, March 19, 20, Rempel 262, 238. 



Littoral flats of the upper gulf region, where it forms low rounded 

 brittle-stemmed bushes. It is one of the common halophytes of the region, 

 but Johnston (Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. IV, 12:1097) attributes its appar- 

 ent halotropism to the salt air father than to saline soils. It is also found 

 on nonalkaline soils and locally occurs in extended stands making a low 

 suffrutescent vegetation with or without associates. 



