CALIFORNIAN UMBELLIFEREXE. 271 
one which, with its long-beaked fruits in small umbels, might 
almost be passed off at first glance, as a geranium of some 
sort. ' 
CICUTA. 
In the few families of plants which are, like the Umbelli- 
ferm, preeminently natural, the anthological and carpological 
characters, whether of genera or of species, are apt to be very 
slight. But here Nature comes usually to the rescue of the 
despairing carpological systematist, and gives him good 
characters for his genera, or for his species, in the vegetative 
organs. Only by regarding these latter can a man set goo 
limits to species in such a genus as Cicuta. 
Linneus, although failing to give the real characters by 
which his C. virosa and C. maculata could easily be dis- 
tinguished, nevertheless held them totally distinct. Other 
famous botanists before his day and since have known and 
indicated the essential differences between the two. There 
are certain unmistakable and, I suppose, unquestioned differ- 
ences in the roots of the plants. I cannot better indicate 
them than by quoting our worthily renowned Asa Gray as he 
wrote fifty years ago: 
“©, yrrosa (Linn.): trunk of the root and lower part of 
the stem hollow and divided by transverse partitions." 
“©. MACULATA ( Linn.): root with thick oblong fleshy fibres.” 
Concerning at least the American plant of northern latitudes 
which goes for, and doubtless is true C. virosa, he might have 
added that the rhizomatous lower part of the stem is of hori- 
zontal growth and scarcely subterranean or subaqueous; & 
great green tuber-like organ, two inches thick, sending out 
long coarse fibrous roots mainly from beneath. 
The corresponding characters, besides others more remark- 
able, if his own 
C. CarrronNICA, were all unknown to him, and are still 
