﻿New Plants from New Mexico. 



By E. O. Wooton. 



COMMELINA CRISPA. 



Much branched, perennial by tuberous roots (erect when 

 young, lower part of stem prostrate, upper erect in age) : stems 

 often 5-8 dm. long, finely villous-pubescent above, especially on 

 stems near the nodes, becoming glabrous below : leaves linear- 

 lanceolate, 3-7 cm. long, 4-6 mm. wide, pubescent with small 

 scattering hairs on both surfaces, acuminate, crispate, slightly con- 

 tracted at the base ; ochrea 12-15 mm. long, membranous, closed 

 all the way up, supplied with several white bristly hairs on the 

 margin at the mouth of its tube ; spathe much the shape of that of 

 C Virginica L. but slightly shorter, a little broader and the sides 

 more curved, 1.5-2 cm. long, 1 cm. broad, acute, decurrent into a 



peduncle 5-8 mm. long, pubescent and also bearing some weakly 

 hispid rather long white hairs at the base, generally about 3- 

 flowered : sepals all broadly elliptical -rotund, the upper one slightly 

 narrower than the others (3 mm. long) and only about half as 

 jarge: two upper petals broadly reniform, long-clawed, 1-1.5 cm. 

 in diameter, very delicate in texture and finely veined, bright blue ; 

 claw 3-4 mm. long ; third petal small, white, lanceolate, 2-3 mm. 

 lo ng : 3 fertile stamens with 7-9 mm. long filaments ; 3 staminodia 

 about half as long : style over 1 cm. long, loosely coiled upward : 

 pod 3-celled and 3-seeded, glabrous, two of the cells dehiscent, 

 the third indehiscent : seeds orbicular, slightly flattened, smooth. 



gan Mountains 



Se pt. 1 ; altitude 4800 feet, no. 545. Much if not all the south- 

 western material which has been referred to C. Virginica belongs 



he 



re. 



tifolia 



than to C. Virginica. 



It is one of the common species of the Southwest, as is shown 

 b >' the fact that it was collected by Pope's expedition and Marcy's 

 a nd the Mexican Boundary Surveyors. Its range seems to be 

 from the plains of western Nebraska and Kansas southward into 

 Mexico, particularly in the arid region. I have found it growing 

 0nl y in loose rocky soil. 



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