Contributions to Western Botany. ‘i 
ever, the markings are wholly absent. The floral characters, 
upon which much stress has been laid in classification, generally 
have but little value, the pedicels, filaments, and sepals being 
very variable in length and the erests of the ovary still more 
variable, running in some species from nothing to very long and - 
even dissected. It is only when the sepals are very obtuse or 
very narrow and the filaments of unusual length that these 
characters seem to have much value in classification. Since the 
normal markings of the family are vertical ones and since a root- 
stock is less highly developed than a bulb, we take as the lowest 
species those having rootstocks at the ends of the bulbs and those 
having vertical markings on the bulb coats; we pass through 
those species having transverse markings to those having con- 
torted markings with contorted walls, thence to those which 
have the same markings developed into oblique ribs and fibres. 
Nearly all our onions grow in soil which is moist in the spring, 
rarely are they found in wet meadows or boggy places. The 
species of this genus are entirely confined to the temperate zones. 
A. Ribs of bulb coats not branching nor uniting into meshes, 
and so the bulbs are not fibrous coated, except A.madidum 
and fibrillum, which are minutely fibrous, but this latter is 
not caused by the union of ribs. 
AB. Bulb coats few, with many ribs, not reticulated; bulbs 
lanceolate, tapering at tip, without rootstock, erect or nearly 
so, cross section of leaves round and hollow, and leaves 
several; peduncles not winged; no threads on the bulb- 
coats as they decay. 
1. A. Sibiricum L. Mant. 562. Common name Chives. 
Closely allied to A. Schcenoprasum L. Scapes stout; umbel coa- 
densed and with very short pedicels; flowers bright rose-colored; 
sepals 4-5” long; stamens not exserted; capsule noterested. This 
abounds from New Brunswick and northward to Alaska across 
the continent, and, though rare southward, it is found in the 
high mountains of northern Utah and Wyoming. 
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