1921 
PAYSON—MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS LESQUERELLA 113 
latter four to seven. L. Gordonii has glabrous pods with four 
to ten ovules and L. Palmeri pubescent pods with four to six 
ovules. Two species from among the most primitive in the genus 
in many respects are L. auriculata and L. grandiflora. The for- 
mer has a number of long, simple trichomes intermixed with the 
branching or stellate hairs, has abruptly dilated filament bases, 
and six to eight ovules; the latter has lost most, if not all, of the 
simple trichomes, has gradually dilated filament bases, and four 
to six ovules. A series of three species probably to be placed in 
linear sequence is that formed by L. intermedia, L. alpina, and 
L. condensata. The first shows only partial inhibition of the 
terminal bud, noncompressed pods, and three to eight ovules; 
the second shows complete inhibition of the terminal bud, pods 
that are compressed at the apex, and two to four ovules; the 
third, besides having a terminal bud that remains undeveloped 
and a pod compressed at the apex, also has greatly reduced 
stems, and but two ovules. L. angustifolia is of particular in- 
terest because it has retained so many primitive characters but 
has only two ovules in each cell. 
After considering these facts and many other similar ones it 
has been felt that above all else the relative number of ovules 
possessed by any species is indicative of its position in a series. 
No case is known in which one species, thought because of other 
characters to have been derived from another, has a greater 
number of ovules than the supposed parent. A given species 
may have the largest number of ovules in the genus but on that 
account has not of necessity the greatest number of primitive 
characters nor is it to be thought the ancestor of all forms with 
fewer ovules. All that is indicated is that this species with 
numerous ovules is more primitive than species closely related 
to it and having fewer ovules. Furthermore, the species having 
the most ovules could not have been derived from any other 
species now extant. L. argyraea will serve to illustrate this line 
of reasoning. It possesses more ovules than any other species 
of Eulesquerella and is held to be the most primitive species ex- 
tant of its own particular branch, yet it has lost many charac- 
ters we believe the ancestral form to have possessed and which 
are retained by many species with fewer ovules than L. argyraea. 
At every point, conclusions derived from other sources have 
