1917] 
СВЕЕХМАХ——ЕХОТ1С COMPOSITAE 291 
species of Erechtites recorded as occurring in North America 
north of southern Mexico. 
A second member of this genus, namely Erechtites arguta 
DC., has rather recently appeared on the Pacific coast, and, 
although it has not yet spread to any considerable extent, 
there is the possibility that it too may become eventually a 
pernieious weed, at least in the western portion of this 
country. Erechtites arguta DC. is a native of Australia and 
New Zealand. It differs from our common ''fireweed"' in 
having thicker or firmer and somewhat smaller leaves which 
are more or less persistently white-tomentulose beneath, and 
in having smaller heads with shorter involueres and fre- 
quently dark brown or almost black involucral bracts. Its 
general appearance is rather more like certain species of 
Senecio than Erechtites. In fact it might very well be mis- 
taken for S. sylvaticus L., from which it сап be distinguished 
readily by having two or more rows of marginal pistillate 
flowers with slender 3—4-dentate corollas and relatively few 
perfect flowers in the center of the head. Three independent 
collections of this exotic plant have been made in California, 
all from different stations in the northern part of the state. 
These have been carefully studied and compared with 
authentic specimens of Erechtites arguta DC. from New 
Zealand, and there is complete accord in every detail. A brief 
deseription may be given as follows: 
Erechtites arguta DC. Prodr. 6: 296. 1837; Bentham & 
Mueller, Fl. Austr. 3: 659. 1866; Cheeseman, Fl. New Zea- 
land, 364. 1906. Plate 19. 
А coarse herb; stems erect, 3 to 10 dm. high, leafy, striate, 
slightly floecose-tomentulose; leaves oblanceolate to lanceo- 
late, 3 to 12 em. long, .5 to 2.5 em. broad, pinnately lobed to 
runcinate-pinnatifid, sharply and unequally dentate, at first 
arachnoid-tomentulose above, densely and more or less per- 
sistently white-tomentulose beneath ; the lowermost leaves nar- 
rowed into a petiole; the main stem-leaves sessile and semi- 
amplexicaul; inflorescence a terminal many-headed corym- 
bose суше; heads small, 5 to 7 mm. high; involucre calyculate 
