CONTRIBUTIONS TO WESTERN BOTANY NO. 15 63 



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KEY TO SPECIES OF ERYTHEA AND WASHINGTONIA 



Seeds not less than half an inch long, deeply excavated on one side. 

 Flowers not over. 4 mm. long, greenish-white, with petals but little 

 exserted* beyond the calyx, and filaments united below into a cup. 

 Fruit almost spherical, or objpriform. Bracts short. -" Erythea. 



Seeds not excavated on one side, less than half an inch long. Flowers 

 about 1 cm. long, white, with petals linear and much exserted beyond 

 the calyx and with tips reflexed. Filaments not united below into a 

 cup. Inflorescence linear, of several grape-like clusters arranged 

 racemosely. Peduncle elongated. " Fruit not spherical;' Bracts long. 



"Washiagtonia. 



ERYTHEA 



Key to Species 

 and uniform th 



Fruit 



thick, sweet and juicy, round. Leaves apple-green. 



Petioles deciduous, unarmed. 1. E. edulis. 



Petioles armed, persistent 2. E. aculeata. 



obypyramidal. Leaves glaucesccnt. 



Fruit 



3, E. elegans. 



about 2 mm. thick, and mostly granular. Leaves green or 



slightly glaucescent. Petioles armed and persistent. 



4, E. B-andegei. 



Inflorescence linear," of a series of grape-like clusters arranged rrcemosely 



on a long peduncle, the whole exserted beyond the leaves. Fruit 



about half an inch long, reddish at maturity and with pulp about 



2 mm. thick and gramSar. Leaves glaucous. Petioles -armed and 



5. E. armata. 



persistent. 



WASHIN 



Inflorescent linear, of several grape-like clusters arranfred racemo^^ely on a 



long rachis which becomes a long peduncle T>elow. Leaves green 

 with digitate rays, as in Er>'thea, with armed petioles. Bract- long, 

 white and conspicuous, *^ ■ fihf^ra. 



Leaves with blade o-S feet long and mostly longer thnn the petioles, and 

 in age reflexed and forming a compact and continuous and sightly 

 sheath around the trunk, the individual leoves not separalile as^ in 

 the others. * E, filifera var. robusta Parish. 



Leaves with blade 2-3 feet long and shorter than the petioles, reflexed In 

 age and forming an interrupted and unsightly sheath. 



Leaves not split to the middle and tips not conspicuously drooping. 



W. filifera var. typica. 



Leaves split to the middle into linear rib^bons which droop and flutter in 



the wind. 



W. filifera '\'Hr. "Sonorae. 



