June 3, 1908 43 
One. of these plants, Aster carnosus, belongs well out in 
the desert, and has been found nowhere else in the cismontane 
région than here. The others are costal plants. They are 
Suaeda minutiflora, Cuscuta salina and Scirpus pacificus. ‘The 
last named grows along the edges of the little stream. The 
Cuscuta is parasitic on Mtrophila, and has not perceptibly in- 
creased or diminished during the twenty odd years that I have 
observed the tract. The other two, which at first were not 
abundant, and grew only near the streamlet, have now spread 
for a mile along the public road which traverses the tract, and 
are plentiful. 
Now it happens that by this runlet of water were once sit- 
uated the home corrals of one of the nomadic bands of sheep, 
which in early days wandered so freely over southern Califor- 
nia, visiting at times the coast, and even the deserts. It seems 
not improbable that to these sheep may be due the presence of 
these aberrant plants; that here they are as truly emigrants as 
if they came from Europe, instead of only from neighboring 
subdivisions of the same life area. 
Recently in this journal I asked for information on two 
points, and am now able to give the results. Dr. EK. L. Greene 
has kindly cleared up the first—that relating to the place of 
publication of Claytonia perfoliata Don. He informs me that 
the plant was first described in Willd. Sp. Pl. 1: 1186. 1798. 
This is the place of publication given by most recent writers, 
but in the Synoptical Flora 1; 274, the place of publication is 
given as Ind. Hort. Cantab. 25. 1796. Such “thoughtless” pro- 
cedure, to quote the words of the editor of the Synoptical Flora 
at the top of that same page 274, “merits severe censure.” 
There is no excuse for the citing of a zomen nudum as if it 
were an actual publication. 
The place and date of publication of Rzbes bracteosum is 
Mem. Acad. St. Petersb. VI. 2: 138. Au. 1832. Mr. J. H. Pain- 
ter assures me that 1831, the date given in Piper’s Flora of 
Washington, is an error.—A. A. HELLER. 
