STUDIES IN CEANOTHUS. 



BY KATHARINE BRANDEGEE. 



The genus Ceanothus, as at present received, is entirely 

 North American, and largely Californian; decreasing 

 rapidly north, south and east both in the number of forms 

 and of individuals and in size. It forms a considerable 

 portion of the " Chapparal " of California, equaling or 

 exceeding the " Manzanitas " in quantity and outnum- 

 bered only by the " Chamis." The beauty and fra- 

 grance of a blossoming hillside of Ceanothus make a 

 strong impression upon all who behold it for the first 

 time, and in consequence some of the species have long 

 been cultivated in European gardens. 



Torrey & Gray in the Flora of North America recog- 

 nized twenty-three species north of Mexico; eleven of 

 them being there first characterized. Watson in Proc. 

 Am. Acad, x, 169-175, admitted twenty-eight: reducing 

 four of the previous list and describing one new species. 

 Trelease in Proc. Cal. Acad, i, 106-118 (1888) raised the 

 number to thirty-two, reducing one of the previous list, 

 describing three new species and raising two varieties to 

 specific rank. Dr. C. C. Parry in two papers * increased 

 the number to thirt}- -three, reducing five of the last list 

 and describing seven as new (one of which he reduced 

 in his second paper). Since that time seven species have 

 been described — all in.§ Cerastes. 



Of these revisions the last is the most important, being 

 largely based on field studies, which in this genus are 

 peculiarly desirable. Dr. Parry was the first to make 

 known the prevalence of natural hybrids, the ease with 

 which they are recognized in the field, and the corre- 

 sponding difficulty of their determination in herbarium 



* Proc. Daveiip. Acad, v, 16'2-17-i & 185-194. 

 2d Seb., Vol. IV. June 2, 189i. 



