JV 1 1907 
Volume 3 No. 7 
MUHLENBERGIA 
A. A. HELLER, Editor 
Los GATOS, CALIFORNIA, OCTOBER 26, 1907 
NOTES ON SPHAEROSTIGMA 
By Dr. A. DAVIDSON 
The Sphaerostigma bistorta group of the Onagraceae has 
always been a puzzling one to amateurs, and it has been a point 
of much debate among the small fraternity of botanists here, as 
to what constitute the various species of this group. With the 
view of forming some definite conclusions for my own satisfac- 
tion I have examined all the available herbarium material on 
the coast, and the results I shall here detail. 
‘The specimens examined were those of the Universities of 
California and Stanford, and the private herbaria of S. B. Par- 
ish and F. M. Reed. Mr. Reed has taken a special interest in 
this family, and has made very large collections, chiefly from 
Riverside and neighborhood. In the herbaria of the Universi- 
ties the Onagraceae of southern California is very well repre- 
sented, thanks to the activity of Messrs. Hall and Abrams, but 
middle and northern California are not as well represented as 
they might be. Southern California has for some reason been 
much more thoroughly explored than any other part, so it is 
impossible at present to give anything like an accurate idea of 
the general distribution of any genera represented throughout 
the State. 
The authors of the Botany of California have placed veztch- 
_tanum as a variety of dzstorta, and in a note appended to the 
description of mzcranthum say “it is probably a mere variety of 
(105) 
” LIBRAR 
NEW YO 
BOTANIC. 
GARDED 
