CERTAIN PENTSTEMONS. 239 



tological aspects of the question. Still another difficulty con- 

 fronts the closet botanist in the fact that, diverse as are the 

 hues of herbage arid colors of the corolla, both almost invari- 

 ably blacken as soon as dry; and the confessedly important 

 item of form of the corolla, can only be studied well in the 

 fresh specimen. 



In my own travels I have met with no more than half the 

 types of the above-named species; but that is more than any 

 of my predecessors in the discussion of them had seen; and, 

 while I am far from being in a position to solve the whole 

 problem and reduce the synonymy of the forms, a number of 

 new points looking to a final solution are clear to my mind, 

 find it is these which I desire here to place upon record. The 

 following I feel confident deserve the rank of species; though 

 they are all merged in one, under the name of Pentslanon 

 Menziesii, in even the Supplement to the Synoptical Flora 

 where Dr. Gray began the segregation of things which, at 

 the time of issuing the body of the volume, he had con- 

 founded with ''P. Menziesiiy 



P. FRUTicosus. Gerardia fruficosa, Pursh, Fl. ii. 423. 1. 18 

 (1814). Pentsfemon Leicisu, Benth. PC. Prodr. x. 321 (1846). 

 Possibly both P. Scovleri and P. crassifoUns, LindL and 

 also P. Douglasii Hook., are synonyms of this; but it seems 

 quite as probable that they are good species awaiting rein- 



ifi 



/ 



height, with lateral leafy and sterile branches, the central 

 ones bearing peduncled racemes, Purslrs figure shows but 

 a portion of a flowering branch. The foliage as^ a rule is 

 . more remotely and acutely serrate than the original figure 

 shows. The large corollas are of a lilac-purple. The anthers 

 are rather deeply included; the sterile filament long and 

 glabrous. The stem is puberulent, but the leaves are glab- 

 rous, of a bright green, not iij the least glaucescent, and do 

 not very promptly blacken in drying. The species is plenti- 

 ful in the arid districts of the interior (two mountain ranges 



