53 



San Francisco May 7th, 1855. 



Col. L. Hansom in the Chair. 



Dr. II. Gibbons presented a vertebra of a whale, 

 ,und near the Presidio, in ploughing. 



Dr. Downer presented a specimen of Tridacna gi- 

 as, from the Navigator Islands. 



Dr. 3. Gibbons presented a Journal of Meteor olo 

 cal Observations, at San Francisco, from Dec. 1850 

 i March, 1855, showing the Thermometrical and 

 arometrical depressions and elevations ; also obser- 

 ations on the winds, clouds, &c. 



Dr. Kellogg exhibited drawings of the Taxodium 



mpervirens of Don, or the common Redwood, with 

 licroscopical and analytical figures of the flowers. 



The thanks of the Academy are due to Dr. Willard, 

 ho furnished the blooming specimens. 



Drs. Kellogg and Behr reported on the species of 

 'axodium, improperly described by English authors 

 1 1 'illingtonia, commonly known as the "Great 

 ■ee" of California. 



\XODICM GIGANTEUM — OR THE WASHINGTON CYPRESS. 



— Kellogg and Behr. 

 This world-renowned monarch of the American 

 rest is now in bloom, and from the data thus fur- 

 shed, it is evidently a species of Taxodium of Don. 



its early growth it has the foliage of the common 

 idwood or Taxodium sempervirens, i. e. forming a 

 ,t lamina as in the Taxus and Torreya ; but sis it 

 Ivances in age, the foliage is metamorphosed into 

 iangular scale-like leaves, attached by a broad base 

 ith an imbricated arrangement similar to many 

 ecies of the Cypress and Juniper. Hence the 

 ime we proposed for it in 1853 — Washington Cy- 



ess. 



Taxodium giganteum. — Kellogg and Behr. 



Kamorum sterilium folia membranacea, alternan- 

 a, disticha, folium pinnatum mentientia, fertilium 

 lia acuta, carinata, imbricata, cupressoidea. 



Male flowers in small ovoid catkins at the extrem- 

 y of the branchlets, solitary or in clusters of three 

 ■ more, composed of scale-like filaments, concave, 

 oid, margins thin membranous frilled, and when 

 parated infolded, bearing three or four oblong an- 

 er-cells under the lower margin, outside as it were, 

 a small portion of the torn rachis adhering to it — 

 lis opening by a longitudinal fissure, valves slight- 

 collapsed at the sides near the middle; pollen 

 herical. some apparently with the remnant of a pe- 

 eel. Cones solitary, or two or three together, on 

 ng pedicels, oblong-ovate about two and a-half 

 chefl long, and two inches broad at the thickest 

 wneter, axis ligneous. Scales numerous, closely 

 lpactod, thick, angular, sub-peltate, cuneate, trun- 

 ite, apophysis transverse, sulcate, mucronate, seeds 

 ^'ht to each scale ; cuneate compressed, wings 

 lick corky membranous, often oblique, emarginate 

 K>ve — general outline obovate-emarginate. Leaves 

 oung stateexpanded, long linear, acuminate, 

 >' mate ; by age becoming triangular, somewhat 

 >ruptly acute, imbricate, sessile, appressed, persist- 



ent, adhering by a broad base and half or three quar 

 ters of the inner surface ; dull pale green ; sterile 

 auients of a creamy or ochreous hue, branchlets round . 

 somewhat drooping ; bark, cinnamonbrown, shreddy 

 fibrous, like the Cypress, Arbor-Vita? and Redwood ; 

 one to one and a-half feet in thickness. Heartwood 

 coppery-red and lustrous, grain straight, and easily 

 splitting, lasting, but soft. 



This towering and colossal forest tree attains to 

 the height of 322 feet, and upwards of 29 feet in di- 

 ameter, perfectly symmetrical in all its proportions. 

 From the features indicated, this gigantic tree is ev- 

 idently of Cypress lineage ; a family we respectfully 

 submit, already too much divided. 



Dr. Kellogg exhibited a drawing and fresh speci- 

 mens of Madaria corymbosa, Y&T.fragaria. 



Stem and involucre clothed with a long soft pube- 

 scence, glandless and glanduliferous hairs int rinixed 

 — leaves linear-lanceolate, sessile, remotely denticu- 

 late, inconspicuously three-nerved, villous. glandless, 

 chaffy scales in a single, series, all united ; — rays 

 about thirteen, cuneate below, expanding, deeply 

 three cleft apex, yellow. Achenia oblong-obovate 

 cuneate, compressed, sub-angled, incurved, bright 

 lilac colored ; anthers brown. 



This plant exhales the fragrant odor of ripe straw- 

 berries. 



Dr. K. exhibited drawings and specimens of Viola 

 longipes, or Long Spurred Blue Violet, in some 

 points varying from the received description ; e. g. 

 the points of the leaves sub-acute, somewhat cucu- 

 late, margin crenulate, teeth obtuse as if cut off, 

 stipules large, semi-cordate-lanceolate ; peduncles 

 quadrangular ; sepals lanceolate acuminate ; upper 

 petals much reflexed ; lateral petals strongly beard- 

 ed near the upper margin ; stigma papillose, gla- 

 brous beneath ; spur long, produced, often recurved 

 upwards ; appendages of the lower anthers long fili- 

 form ; stem slightly flattened or sulcate by two de- 

 current lines opposite the leaves extending down to 

 the axils and alternating. 



Dr. K. also exhibited a drawing and specimens 

 from Placerville and this vicinity, of the common 

 plant Sidalcea diploscypha, Gray, called in the Flo- 

 ra of North America by T. & G. Malva diploscypha, 

 by others described as a Sida. It is worthy of re- 

 mark that the leaves are not digitately five-parted, 

 but seven-parted ; flowers in a long naked raceme at 

 the summit of the branches ; bracts not three, but 

 one, two or three-parted, or toothed, &c. 



The Academy is greatly obliged to Mr. E. W. Gar- 

 vitt, for the fine specimens sent them from Placer- 

 ville. 



May 14th, 1855 

 Dr. Randall in the Chair. 



Donations to the Cabinet. 

 From Dr. Trask, three specimens of Cottopsis par- 

 vus, Gir. from the Sacramento river. 



