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48> Muhlenbergia, Volume 3° 
_ MONTIA PERFOLIATA (Donn) Howell. Zndian lettuce. Miner's — oe 
lettuce. Peeterashy.*. See 
‘This also is one of the early bloomers, and is found every- — 
where, especially in orchards. The plants we understand make 
very good “greens,” although we have never tried them. There 
are a multitude of forms, the plants which grow in rich ground 
often being a foot or more in height with leaves two inches or — 
more in diameter, while plants growing in poor soil may be 
only a few inches high. Some plants are upright, while others 
are low and spreading. Some have narrow linear basal leaves, 
while on others these leaves have a broad, variously shaped 
blade. The pair of leaves on the stem is always united, appear- 
ing like a single large round one. Above this connate-perfoliate 
leaf is the raceme of small white or pinkish flowers, the lowest 
flower sometimes sitting closely against it, but always subtended 
by a small bract. The plants grouped under this name should 
be carefully studied in the field. They range over. the whole 
Pacific slope, and eastward into the Rocky mountain region. 
From a hasty examination of a few plants, I seem to find that 
those with narrow leaves have small white flowers, while those 
with broad leaf blades have larger pink tinged flowers. 
MONTIA SPATHULATA (Dougl.) Howell 
This is a very small plant, as a rule only an inch or two 
high, and grows in gravelly places or on rocks on hillsides, less 
often in cultivated ground; but I find it in orchards near our 
place. The plant is glaucous and fleshy, clings closely to the 
ground, and is therefore easily overlooked. The small flowers 
are like those of MZ perfoliata, but the stem leaves are quite 
different. They are narrow, acute, dilated at base and joined 
only on one side, equaling or exceeding the short raceme. ‘The 
species has a range nearly as great as that of IZ. perfoliata. 
,» CALANDRINIA ELEGANS Spach. Red maids. 
A handsome species with deep rose purple flowers a half 
inch across. It is common in orchards, vineyards and other 
