Rydberg : RocKV Mountain flora 689 



I had some correspondence with Professor A. Nelson in 1898, 

 when the latter segregated Pentstemon similis from P, JamcsiL 

 I think that I then led Professor Nelson astray. At least, I had 

 made a rather serious mistake. Professor Nelson made the fol- 

 lowing statement in his article in the Bulletin cited above : 



" Before I began work upon these collections Dr. Rydberg had 

 satisfied himself that his Dakota plant closely duplicated the type 

 of P. Jamcsii which is preserved in the Torrey Herbarium at 

 Columbia University, and with which he has done me the favor of 

 comparing my specimens." 



A more thorough investigation of the South Dakota plant 

 shows that the sterile stamens are but slightly bearded and of a dif- 

 ferent shape and the specimens must be referred to a form oi P. 

 albidus. The type o{ P, J'amesu consists of two scraps, only the 

 tops of the plant. The bracts, the calyx, and corolla of these 

 scraps resemble closely those of Nelson's plants from Wyoming. 

 The basal leaves of P. Jarnesii are, however, entirely different from 

 those of Nelson's plant At the time, there were no good specimens 

 o{ P. Jamesii in the herbaria here \x\ New York, but I have myself 

 collected good specimens near the type locality, which was some- 

 where on the upper Arkansas River. These show that P, Jarnesii 

 is much closer to P. similis A. Nels., differing in the smaller corolla, 

 the less secund inflorescence, the longer bracts and narrower basal 

 leaves. Typical P. Jarnesii is represented by Rydberg & Vrceland 



5^37 ^ S^J^* 6610, §6 J J and S^33 / ^^^^ by Baker 6 of 1901 and 

 Osterhoiit 2084. of 1900. 



As the plant described by Professor Nelson at the place cited 

 above is very distinct J adopt the name under which Professor 

 Nelson had distributed the plant, viz., Pentstemon atiricomus^ espe- 

 cially as I, at least indirectly, was the cause of its being suppressed. 



Pentstemon suffkutescens Rydb. Bull. Torrey 



Club 28: 503. "^o S 1901 



P. caespitosus suffruticosus A. Gray, Syn. FL 2^: 270. 1878. 

 P. proctifnbens Greene, PI. Baker. 3: 2^. 18 N 1901. 

 Professor A, Nelson, in describing Pentstemon Xylus^^ expressed 

 his opinion that the latter was the same as P. caespitosus suffriiti- 



*Bot. Gaz. 34: 31. 1902. 



