Violaceae 253 



1. HELIANTHEMUM L. ROCK-ROSE. 



Woody herbs or low shrubs, more or less branching, 

 mostly with showy yellow flowers. Petals 5, yellow, 

 fugacious. Stamens numerous. Placentae or false septa 

 3, ovules few-many ; style short or filiform or spatulate, 

 jointed with the ovary ; stigma capitate or 3-lobed. 

 Embryo curved. 



1. H. scoparium Nutt. Stems tufted, slender, somewhat 

 woody below, sparsely stellate-pubescent, 2.5-3.5 dm. high ; 

 leaves few, narrowly linear, 8-20 cm. long; flowers on slender 

 pedicels, solitary or cymose at the ends of the branches; sepals 

 6 mm. long, acuminate, the 2 outer linear and much shorter; 

 petals 6-8 mm. long; stamens about 20; capsule equaling the 

 calyx. 



Frequent on dry ridges in the chaparral belt of all our mountains and 

 foothills. Our plants are slightly more pubescent than the form about 

 Monterey (which is typical), being often cinereous, and may prove to be a 

 good subspecies. 



H. ALDERSONII Greene. A larger, nearly glabrous plant, with 

 petals 10-15 mm. long. 



Common in the foothills of San Diego County. 



Family 59. VIOLACEAE. VIOLET FAMILY. 



Ours herbs with alternate or basal simple entire or 

 lobed leaves, and axillary or scapose usually solitary 

 perfect irregular flowers. Sepals 5, unequal. Petals 

 5, hypogynous, imbricated in the bud, the lower one 

 spurred. Perfect stamens 5, hypogynous ; anthers erect, 

 connivent in a ring, sessile or on short filaments. Ovary 

 1, 1-celledj with 3 parietal placentae ; style simple. Cap- 

 sule dehiscent by valves. Seeds anatropous with a crus- 

 taceous testa ; embryo straight ; endosperm copious. 



1. VIOLA L. VIOLET. 



Characters of the family. The later flowers often 

 produced on runners or on short peduncles, and are 



