74 KEY AND FLORA 



CRASSULAXE^. Stonecrop Family 



Thick, fleshy herbs. Sepals, petals, stamens, and pistils 

 all of the same number, or stamens twice that number. The 

 pistils become follicles in fruit. 



I. SE'DUM, Stonecrop 



Se]pal8 Jf. or 5, united at base. Petals distinct, spreading, 

 star-like. Flowers in cymes, generally on one side of the 

 flowering axis, deep purple, yellow, or white. No one species 

 is widely distributed in California. 



a. S. spathuhfo'lium Hook. Perennial. Stems spreading by run- 

 ners and rooting at the rose-like bunches of fleshy leaves. Leaves 

 glaucous, obovate or spatulate, flat, ^-3 in. long. Flowering stems 

 erect, capped by a cyme of yelloiv flowers, which are almost sessile, and 

 disposed to he on one side of the peduncles. Petals twice as long as 

 the ovate sepals, a little longer than the stamens and style. This 

 blooms in summer. It grows on rocks that are clothed with moss 

 and are wet during the rainy season, but later become dry. It is 

 common from middle California to Washington. 



h. S. Orega'num Nutt. This is similar to the above but is not 

 glaucous. Flowers larger. Petals pale rose-color, narrowly lanceolate, 

 with pointed apex, nearly twice as long as the stamens. This is 

 found from northern California to Washington. 



c. S. pu'milum Benth. Annual, slender, with stems simple or 

 branched, 1-6 in. high. Leaves ^ in. long, ovate-oblong. Flowers 

 yellow, sessile, in cymes. Calyx lobes very small, triangular, 

 acute. Petals linear, acute, exceeding the calyx, stamens, and 

 styles. Pollicles 1-seeded, with the seed filling the cavity. This is 

 widely distributed in the Coast and Sierra Nevada Mountains. 

 It blooms in summer and generally grows on northward slopes or 

 on shady rocks. 



n. COTYLE'DON (ECHEVERIA) 



Calyx 5-iKirted. Petals united into a cylindrical corolla. 

 Stamens 10, on the tube of the corolla. Leaves entire, thick, 

 and fleshy, forming large clusters at the base of the flowering 

 stem. Flowers red or yellow, in long racemes or cymes, 

 coiled somewhat at the tip. The species are difficult to 

 distinguish and mostly local. 



