February 28, 1907 35 
.~ RIBES MALVACEUM Smith. Red currant. 
_ This is common in the hills about Los Gatos, growing 
among other shrubs, especially on cool northerly slopes. Itisa 
shrub three to six feet high, the slender branches usually erect 
and little branched, but occasionally much branched and 
bushy. The leaves. are thick, rough and dull green above, 
whitened beneath with short woolly hairs. The flowers are 
pale rose, the calyx, as in all members of this genus, being the 
showy organ. It isa little over a quarter of an inch in length, 
tubular in shape, the short rounded lobes rotately spreading, or 
standing almost at right angles with the tube. The small pet- 
als are white, and extend a little above the calyx tube, forming 
a collar-like projection. Its flower characters, as well as the 
thick rough leaves easily separate this species from its relatives, 
with one of which, Rzbes sauguineum, it has been confused by 
some botanists. The original was “gathered in California by 
Mr. Menzies” probably between 1790 and 1795. That he got 
it at Monterey seems unquestionable, as the species is common 
in the woods at that place. Monterey county is probably its 
southern limit, and it does not extend mnch farther north than 
San Francisco. In our neighborhood it ranges at between 500 
and nearly 2000 feet elevation. In the southern part of the 
State its place is taken by Ribes tndecorum Eastwood, originally 
collected at San Diego, but found as far north as San Luis 
Obispo county. This has a leaf considerably like that of our 
species, but the flower is smaller and shows different characters. 
GARRYA ELLIPTICA Dougl. Sz/k-tassel tree. 
An evergreen shrub or small tree, usually six to ten feet 
high, the branches somewhat spreading. The thick leaves are 
deep green above, densely clothed underneath with short woolly 
hairs, the margins more or less crinkled or undulate. The stam- 
inate flowers hang from the branches in tassel-like clusters four 
to six inches in length. When fresh they are pale yellow or 
straw-color, but turn gray and dull with age. The arrangement 
