57 



lamina reflexed, entire, apes ending in a subulate 

 mucro. Flowers opposite, peduncles 1 to 2-flowered 

 2-bracted, bracts linear-lanceolate, subulate, sessile 

 closely underneath the calyx ; sepals ovate with long 

 narrowed subulate recurve-spreading points, corolla 

 inflated, glabrous, sterile filament naked, point com- 

 pressed, slightly expanded, curved, anthers hirsute, 

 pistil capitate. 



The flowers of this interesting plant are among 

 the most showy and beautiful we have ever seen ; the 

 color is an ultramarine lilac shading into the pink 

 colored tube ; the panicle is loose and airy with long 

 internodes above, shortening below to J or j the 

 length of the leaves, about 1 to 2 feet in height. — 

 Leaves seldom two inches in length, about o or a lit- 

 tle more in width. 



Dr. K. exhibited a drawing, accompanied with 

 blooming specimens from Placerville, of a new and 

 interesting species of Eg/etes. 



E. Califokxicus — Kellogg. 



Stem annual, striated, arachnoid-tomentose, branch- 

 ing above, forming a large open compound corym- 

 bose top ; leaves alternate pimiatifid, obscurely 3- 

 nerved, white tomentose beneath, dark green glabrous 

 above, margins revolute ; upper leaves sessile, lance- 

 olate acute, mostly dentate, rays three or four times 

 the length of the involucre, ligulate, 3-tootked, lax, 

 apex recurved? tube very glandularly villous, co- 

 rolla of the disk villous and viscid with glandular 

 hairs as in the rays, border 5-toothed, pistils exsert 

 recurved, achenia quadrangular, hirsute, sulcate, 

 pappus of five chaffy scales lancinately-cleft or cil- 

 iate at the extremity, receptacle convex pitted ; in- 

 volucre in two series ; peduncles fistulous above. 



Eays about 13, yellow like the disk florets, showy, 

 an inch or more in length.; flowers very fragrant, 

 having the odor of a ripe Newtown pippin. 



San Fraxcisco, June 4, 1854. 



Col. L. Ransom in the Chair. 



A letter was read, addressed to Dr. Randall, from 

 Dr. S. G. George, of Visalia, Tulare Co , accompany- 

 ing specimens of vegetable fibre, of great strength 

 and beauty, taken from a plant common in the swam- 

 py lands of Tulare Co. It is hoped that attention 

 may be drawn to this plant, as its cultivation may at 

 some future time become of much importance. Spec- 

 imens of it were promised for investigation. 



Mr. H. P. Carlton presented specimens of Cornel- 

 ian, Agate, &c, from Crescent City. 



The thanks of the Academy were voted for the 

 above donations. 



Dr. Kellogg exhibited complete specimens and 

 a drawing of an herbaceous vine from the vicinity of 

 Placerville. 



This plant legitimately belongs to Echinocystis; — 

 but many alterations in the received description of 

 this genus appear to be required. The provisional 

 name offered is — 



E. Muricatus —Kellogg. 



Some of the generic differences are as follows : — 

 Fertile flowers ; calyx not "flattish," but tubular - 

 OOmpanulate, segments 5, not "6," petals 5, united at 

 the base into a tubular-companulate corolla, no abor- 

 tive filaments ; stigma barely marked by a very ob- 

 scure transverse line across the top. Sterile flowers 

 in simple ? racemes 8 inches to 1 foot in length, calyx 

 deeply tubular-campanulate (tube i of an inch or 



more in length) border rotate, sepals obsolete, flow-, 

 ers small, white, or greenish white ; stamens 3 to 5, 

 anthers sigmoid. 



Stem about 5-angled, glabrous, very glaucous, 

 swelled at the axils. Leaves palmate broadly sinu- 

 ate-eordate at base, 5 to 7 lobed, separated by deep 

 and spacious sinuses, lobes long, cuneately so;newhat 

 attenuated below ; lobes 3 to 5 sub-lobcd, with an- 

 gular margins, points mucronate, slightly scabrous, 

 pubescent above, sparsely soft pubescent and very 

 glacous beneath, lamina thin and delicate, on long 

 slender petioles ; tendrils simple or 2 or 3 parted. — 

 Fruit on long slender pedicels pendent from the same 

 axils as the sterile racemes, &c, small, round, about 

 1 inch in diameter, glabrous and shining, light green, 

 muricate with a few obtuse short weak points mostly 

 aggregated at the base, striped somewhat in sections 

 with conspicuous dark green veins, 2-celled, 2-seedcd, 

 bursting irregularly at the summit, seeds roundish 

 dark brown inclining to black, pitted. 



This plant, like several other species, is known as 

 Giant Root ; the root is of great size, creamy russet 

 color, rough, yellowish fleshy within and intensely 

 bitter. A vine climbing over small shrubs, about 6 

 to 8 feex in length. The seeds abound in oil, and 

 the root is said to be a valuable tonic. 



Dr. K. exhibited specimens and a drawing of a 

 species of Fritillaria. In some of the specimens the 

 leaves were long and narrow, or linear-lanceolate 

 whorled below in 5s, 5 inches in length, alternate, lan- 

 ceolate and at the racemose top, arcuate, linear. — 

 There appears to be some variation in this respect; by 

 further observation should it prove to be new, we 

 suggest the specific nanH F. multiflora. Stem about 

 3 feet high, 30 to 40 flowered, flowers small, nodding, 

 purple, spotted, about j an inch in length. 



Stamens i shorter than the petals, anthers longer 

 than the filaments, inner petals rounded at the apex, 

 outer petals acute, point incurved, 3 stigmas revo- 

 lute, glabrous. Root crowned by a great number of 

 smaller bulbs. 



Dr. K. also exhibited a drawing and specimens of 

 vicia, or vetch, from Placerville. 



V. truncata, var. villosa, K. — The specimens found 

 in this vicinity answer the description usually given. 



Further observations are required to determine 

 how far the locality will account for the changes we 

 find in this specimen from the interior. Leaves 6 to 

 7 pairs, broadly obovate -truncate, teeth numer oil", 

 6 to 8 along the upper third and truncate end, mu- 

 cronate, short villous pubescent above, very villous 

 with long hairs beneath, vertical or reversed; stipules 

 semilunate, semisagittate, incisely mucronate-den- 

 tate, spur or barb long acuminate-mucronate, versa- 

 tile, on a central pedicel, stigma very villous; ten- 

 seeded. 



The stem pubescent, quadrangular, slightly winged 

 at the angles. A very handsome species, 1 to 2 feet 

 high, weak. Leaves from i to, k an inch in length, 

 and nearly the same in breadth. 



Dr. K. presented a drawing and specimens of the 

 flowers of the Torreya Californica, or California 

 Nutmeg. Anthers peltate, 9-celled. 



Also a drawing and specimen of the leaf cf Lejttar- 

 rhena imuulata — Behr ; thus completing the draw- 

 ing and essential descriptions furnished a short time 

 ago. 



The leaf is highly interesting; the specimen re- 

 ceived by the politeness of the Pacific Express Com- 

 pany, is about one foot broad, funnel-shaped, round, 

 peltate, border angularly.lobed, sinuses obtuse, 

 doubly-serrate, petiole about '2 feet in length, clothed 



