STUDIES IN CEANOTHUS. 



19s 



establishment, aud was much struck by its beauty, the plant being at that 

 time loaded with clusters of fragrant azure blossom. It has been since 

 imported into this country from Mr. Parmentier's collection at Enghien, 

 by Messrs. Loddiges; and our drawing was made from a sample which 

 flowered in their nursery at Hackney in April last. It is said to be very 

 difficult to propagate, consequently likely to continue rare. Probably na- 

 tive of Mexico, certainly of America, but not of New Holland, as has been 

 stated elsewhere.— Bot. Eeg., iv, 291, lA. 291 (1818). 



The accepted name of this species is a nomen nudum. 

 It is in the place cited * simply mentioned as " Ceanothus 

 azureus azure, t?." The diagnosis was not pub- 



lished until 1818. Therefore as C. ccEruleus was pub- 

 Hshed with a brief diagnosis in 1816 it should have been 

 taken as the proper name, but as C. azzcreus has been in 

 common use for nearly eighty years, it seems to me no 

 good purpose can be served by changino- it 



The narrow-leaved form described by Dr. Watson is 

 undoubtedly connected in complete series with the type, 

 as is the case with similar forms of C. thyrsijloriis. 



15. Ceanothus depressus Benth. 



Ceanothus depressus, sp. u., ramis teretibus crassis rigidis divaricatis 

 ramulis brevibus sa^pe spinescentibus, foliis elliptico-ovatis obtusis tri' 

 nervibus supra puberulis demum glabratis, subtus albo-tomentosis, mar- 

 gme integerrimis glandulosis, glomerulis multifloris densis sessilibus folia 

 sub^quantibus, floribus glabris.— C. iucano, Torr. et Gr. affinis, sed dis- 

 tmctus. Folia pleraque semipoUioaria.-Benth. in Plantas Hartwegian* 

 8, (1839). No locality is mentioned, but Hemsley in Biologia Cent.- Am. 

 1, 199, gives Hartweg's station as Zacatecas, North Mexico. 



This species is still so little known that its affinities can 

 only be conjectured. It may not belong to this group. 

 The solitary leaf that I have seen reminded somewhat of 

 a common Ceanothus of San Diego County, which in this 

 paper is included in the following species. 



*Desf. Tabl. ed. ii, 232, 1815. 



